The UAE flag (adopted 2 December 1971) combines the Pan‑Arab colours: a vertical red hoist bar and horizontal green, white, and black stripes. Designed by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah through a national competition, it symbolises Arab unity, courage, prosperity, peace, and strength. Proportion is 1:2; statutes and circulars govern respectful display, precedence, half‑masting, illumination at night, and dignified retirement. Each emirate retains its historic banner for local use; the federal flag is paramount on national occasions.
The flag of the United Arab Emirates was adopted on 2 December 1971, the day the federation was formed by Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah (with Ras Al Khaimah joining shortly thereafter). Conceived through a national design competition and selected from hundreds of entries, the winning design by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah deploys the canonical Pan‑Arab palette: green, white, black, and red.
The arrangement is distinctive and legible. Along the hoist runs a vertical red bar. The remainder of the field is divided into three equal horizontal bands: green at the top, white in the middle, and black at the bottom. The colours reprise the themes shared across Arab history and literature—red for bravery and sacrifice, green for prosperity and hope, white for peace and honesty, black for strength and steadfastness in overcoming adversity—while taking on specifically Emirati connotations in the context of federation and state‑building.
Legal specifications set the flag’s proportion at 1:2 and fix construction details so that suppliers can reproduce the design accurately at all sizes. Government circulars prescribe respectful handling: the flag must be clean and intact; raised briskly at sunrise and lowered at sunset unless illuminated; never allowed to touch the ground or water; never used as drapery, clothing, or covering; and retired ceremoniously when worn. Protocols specify precedence with foreign flags, placement on vehicles, and procedures for half‑masting during periods of national mourning. Penalties exist for desecration or disrespectful usage.
The federal banner stands alongside the historic flags of individual emirates on appropriate local occasions. This dual display underscores both the unity of the federation and the heritage of its constituent polities. In diplomatic settings and at international organisations, the UAE flag alone identifies the state; at home, it anchors National Day celebrations, military parades, and civil ceremonies.
The stability of the design since 1971 mirrors the federation’s consolidation. While the colours link the UAE to the wider Arab world (and to the writings that popularised the palette), their arrangement and the prominent vertical hoist bar give the flag an identity recognisable at distance and on sea, land, and air. Educational campaigns around Flag Day reinforce correct etiquette among citizens and residents, emphasising that care for the flag is care for the country’s dignity.
In summary, the UAE flag fuses Pan‑Arab colour symbolism with a crisp geometry chosen at the state’s founding. Its governing rules—covering construction, display, precedence, half‑masting, and retirement—ensure consistency across ministries, schools, and embassies, while public observance on National Day and Flag Day renews the ideals of unity and service that the banner is intended to represent.