Use | National flag and ensign |
---|---|
Proportion | 2:3 |
Adopted | 14 October 1958 |
Design | Two horizontal bands of red and green with a white vertical band on the hoist side |
Use | Presidential standard |
Proportion | 2:3 |
Design | The National flag with the Seal of Madagascar in the center of the tri-point with the initials "R. M." in the canton. |
The national flag of Madagascar (Malagasy: sainan'i Madagasikara; French: drapeau de Madagascar) was adopted on 14 October 1958,[1] two years before the independence as they prepared for a referendum on its status in the French Community.
The colors of the flag represent Madagascar's history and traditional peasant classes.[1] Red and white were the colors of the Merina kingdom, which was conquered by France in 1896.[2] They were used in the flag of the last Merina monarch, Queen Ranavalona III. Green was the color of the Hova, the largest class of peasant commoners, who played a significant role in anti-French agitation and the independence movement.