Maldives’ flag is a red field bearing a green rectangle charged with a white crescent opening toward the fly. The modern composition was consolidated during twentieth‑century reforms and affirmed at independence in 1965 and the 1968 republic. Red symbolises the blood and courage of defenders; green faith, peace, and the coconut palm; the crescent Islam. Ratio is 2:3 with codified panel margins, crescent radii, and colour standards. Protocol governs precedence, half‑masting, maritime use, and dignified retirement; royal and state variants used historically have been retired.
The national flag of the Republic of Maldives—red field, central green panel, and a white crescent opening toward the fly—emerged through a series of nineteenth‑ and twentieth‑century adjustments that aligned island heraldry with modern state practice while retaining Islamic symbolism.
From Red Banners to Panel and Crescent Historical Maldivian standards were predominantly red, a colour long associated with maritime sovereignty and royal authority in the Indian Ocean. In the early twentieth century, reforms under Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III introduced a green rectangle centred on the red field, reflecting the islands’ coconut palm culture and the colour’s association with peace and faith. Later, a white crescent—common across Islamic heraldry—was added to the green panel, opening toward the fly to ensure clarity in wind.
Independence and the Republic On 26 July 1965, the Maldives regained independence; the subsequent proclamation of the republic in 1968 consolidated the modern national flag, retiring earlier royal variants and hoist markings tied to monarchical courts. Legal texts and administrative circulars standardised the panel‑to‑field proportions, the placement and curvature of the crescent, and dye references suitable for tropical light and maritime service.
Design
and Geometry The flag’s ratio is 2:3. The green rectangle is inset from the red field by equal margins on all sides, defined as fixed fractions of the flag’s height in official drawings. The white crescent is constructed from intersecting circles to achieve a clean inner and outer arc, centred within the green panel and opening toward the fly. Government art files specify stroke weights and clearspace to preserve legibility at small sizes and in stitching.
Symbolism Red expresses the blood and courage of those who defended the islands and their sovereignty; green represents Islam, peace, and the fertility embodied by the coconut palm; the white crescent affirms the nation’s Islamic identity and guidance. Together the palette produces strong contrast on sea and shore, important for a dispersed atoll nation with a maritime economy.
Protocol
and Usage Regulations address respectful handling (no contact with ground or water; sunrise‑to‑sunset display unless illuminated), precedence with foreign flags, placement on government vessels and aircraft, and the dignified retirement of worn flags. Half‑masting follows presidential order in mourning. Educational materials distributed to schools and island councils include geometry diagrams to avoid distorted crescents or incorrect panel margins.
Continuity While royal and state variants have existed historically, the national standard has remained stable since independence and republican consolidation. On Independence Day and Republic Day, coordinated mast programmes across atolls and resorts emphasise the banner’s unifying role in a geographically fragmented state, while embassies and missions abroad display the flag according to Vienna Convention norms and host‑state protocol.