Flag Of Madagascar - Britannica

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos flag of Madagascar Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics Images Contents CITE verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Madagascar Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

• Maps of World - Flag of Madagascar
• CRW Flags - Flag of Madagascar

flag of Madagascar Ask Anything Homework Help Written by Whitney Smith Former Director, Flag Research Center, Winchester, Massachusetts. Author of Flags and Arms Across the World and others. Whitney Smith Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

Possibly based on traditions in Indonesia, the original home of the Malagasy, the predominant flag colours of Madagascar have always been white and red. In the mid-17th century, for example, those colours were chosen by the Sakalava dynasty when it came to power. They named their country the kingdom of Menabé, which means “great red.” In the late 17th century the Merina (Hova) kingdom was established. Its flags were also almost exclusively of white and red. Typically, each Merina ruler put his or her name and title in red lettering on a white or white-and-red flag. In the 1880s and ’90s Madagascar fell under French control. Local symbols were suppressed but not forgotten.

Following World War II, Malagasy rebels fought an unsuccessful war for independence under a white-and-red flag containing blue stars. Finally, a decade later, the French began to allow Madagascar and other colonies to advance toward self-government. The Malagasy Republic became autonomous on October 14, 1958, and one week later it adopted a national flag. Still in use today, this flag combines the traditional white and red colours with a stripe of green. The white is said to stand for purity and the red for sovereignty; the green represents the coastal regions and symbolizes hope. Many other former French colonies adopted vertical or horizontal tricolours, showing clearly the influence of the French Tricolor on their designs, but Madagascar chose a unique arrangement.

Whitney Smith