Jordan’s national flag places black, white, and green bands beside a red hoist triangle bearing a small white seven-pointed star. The Royal Hashemite Court distinguishes the current form’s endorsement in 1922 from legal adoption in 1928. [1]
Specification
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reproduces Article 4: fly length is twice the hoist; three equal horizontal bands run black, white, then green. The red triangle has a full-hoist base and an altitude of half the fly. The white seven-rayed star fits a circle of diameter one-fourteenth of the fly. Its center lies at the intersection of the triangle’s angle lines; an axis through a star point runs parallel to the hoist. [2] FOTW’s construction account identifies those lines as angle bisectors. [3]
Colors and manufacture
Article 4 names colors without numerical shade values. [2] FOTW reports Royal Protocol’s 2007 The Jordanian Flag Basic Elements, page 12, as specifying Pantone 200 crimson, 356 green, and Process Black. That manual was not directly inspected here; these are secondary-reported references, not independently certified production instructions. Other reference palettes differ. [4]
| Color | Local SVG fill | Meaning of value |
|---|---|---|
| Black | #000000 | Default SVG fill |
| White | #FFFFFF | Screen specimen |
| Green | #007A3D | Screen specimen |
| Red | #CE1126 | Screen specimen |
These retained asset values are not a conversion of the reported Royal Protocol palette. Screen colors do not replace approved textile references. [6]
Construction notes
The inspected SVG uses viewBox 0 0 10080 5040, with 1,680-unit bands. Its red triangle has vertices (0, 0), (0, 5040), and (5040, 2520). This gives the required field ratio and half-fly reach. The white star is a reverse-wound cutout in the red path, revealing the white field below. It has seven outer tips and seven inner corners. [6]
For this coordinate grid, the angle-bisector construction gives the center (2520 × (√5 − 1) / 2, 2520), approximately (1557.446, 2520), and outer radius 360. This is an editorial scale conversion of the cited geometry. The asset rounds the center to about (1557, 2520) and its outer-tip coordinates to whole units, with one tip upward. [3] [6]
The constitutional wording does not give an inner radius or fully define the star’s notches. [2] FOTW documents competing star profiles and larger stars in observed manufacture. This specimen’s inner radius is approximately half its outer radius; that is an artwork choice, not an additional legal fraction. Observed variations do not establish a superseding national design. [3]
Historical record
The Royal Hashemite Court dates endorsement to 1922 and official adoption to the 1928 Basic Law of the Emirate of Transjordan. It attributes the placement of white between the darker bands to a suggestion by Arab Army officers for visibility. [1] FOTW gives 16 April 1928 as the adoption date; the original 1928 gazette was not inspected, so the exact day is retained as reference dating. [4]
Petra’s 2026 account traces the rearrangement to March 1922 and describes reaffirmation at independence on 25 May 1946 and in the later constitutions. The period label therefore follows government accounts of the current form, rather than implying that 1928 was its first appearance. Earlier arrangements require separate historical specimens. [5]
Symbolism and use
The Court associates black with the Abbasids, white with the Umayyads, green with the Fatimids, and red with the Hashemites. It interprets the seven-pointed star as the seven verses of Al Fatiha. These are official explanatory meanings, separate from construction requirements. [1]
The flag represents Jordan in official ceremonies and public display. The Royal Hashemite Court records the King attending the national flag-raising ceremony on 16 April 2026. [7] FOTW also documents civil-ensign use, while noting disagreement over state-ensign classification. This entry does not certify specialized service uses. [4]
Source trail
- Royal Hashemite Court: The Jordanian Flag and the National Anthem ↗ — current form, 1922 and 1928 milestones, and symbolism.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Jordanian flag and royal anthem (Arabic) ↗ — governmental reproduction of Constitution Article 4.
- FOTW: Construction Sheet and Flag Variants ↗ — angle bisectors, star-size interpretation, and profile variations; contributor analysis is distinguished from the Constitution.
- FOTW: Jordan ↗ — adoption-day reference, use discussion, and secondary report of the 2007 Royal Protocol palette.
- Jordan News Agency (Petra): Flag Day history, 15 April 2026 ↗ — 1922 arrangement and subsequent reaffirmation.
- Specimen provenance and rights → — direct Commons source, revision, checksums, and geometry inspection.
- Royal Hashemite Court: King attends Jordan Flag Day ceremony ↗ — current official use, 16 April 2026.
Sources checked 13 September 2026. Open questions: original-gazette confirmation of the adoption day, direct verification of the physical color manual, and a definitive inner-star construction.
Related records: United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Browse national flags or the Flag Index.