The Maldives’ current national flag has a green rectangle inside a red border, with a white crescent opening toward the fly. Its hoist-to-fly ratio is 2:3. [1]
Specification
Article 12 establishes the national flag; Schedule 3 defines its construction and colors. The red border has uniform depth equal to one-quarter of the hoist. The inner green rectangle therefore measures two-thirds of the fly by one-half of the hoist. [1]
Physical color specification
Schedule 3 gives British Admiralty Colour Codes for two bunting classes. [1]
| Color | Nylon worsted bunting | Other bunting |
|---|---|---|
| Green | T 1143 | T 817 A |
| Red | T 1144 | T 818 A |
| White | T 1145 | T 819 A |
Specimen screen colors
#D21034 / specimen approximation#007E3A / specimen approximation#FFFFFF / specimen approximationThese values are read from the downloaded SVG, not converted from the Admiralty references. The Commons page’s displayed color annotations differ from the actual file fills; this record reports the inspected file. No HEX, RGB, Pantone or RAL equivalence to the physical codes is established here. Screen colors cannot certify manufactured cloth. [5]
Construction notes
Along the green panel’s horizontal centerline, the two circle centers lie at 9/16 and 5/8 of its length from its hoist edge. Both radii equal one-third of its height. Subtract the fly-side circle from the hoist-side circle to form the crescent. [1]
The inspected SVG has a 720 × 480 viewBox. A 600 × 360 rectangle at (60,60), with a centered red stroke 120 units wide, creates outer bounds (0,0)–(720,480) and green bounds (120,120)–(600,360). The white circle at (390,240) and green cutout at (420,240) each have radius 80. Relative to the green panel, their horizontal positions are 270/480 = 9/16 and 300/480 = 5/8. Thus the border, panel and both arcs match the schedule. The first circle’s center is deliberately beyond the panel midpoint; “center” in the general description must not replace the detailed construction. [5]
Historical record
The current design is generally dated to 1965, when the earlier black-and-white hoist strip was removed. That superseded form is not the specimen shown here. FOTW’s heading gives 25 July 1965, but its quotation of the former Maldives UN Mission page dates the strip’s withdrawal to 26 September 1965; another account on the same page gives a 1968 official introduction. These accounts do not establish one uncontested adoption day. This record retains 1965 as the reported starting year and leaves the exact date unresolved. [2]
The President’s Office confirms that independence occurred on 26 July 1965; that anniversary alone does not prove the flag’s adoption date. The 2008 Constitution supplies the legal specification used here, rather than evidence of a new design adoption in 2008. [4] [1]
Symbolism
The former UN Mission explanation, reproduced by FOTW, links red to the sacrifice of national heroes, green to life, progress and prosperity, and the crescent to Islam. This is explanatory symbolism, separate from the construction clauses. No individual designer is assigned to the current specification. [2]
Usage
The President’s Office announced continuous national-flag display at government institutions on 18 November 2023, replacing the previous 6 a.m.–6 p.m. practice. [3] Its account of the 26 July 2026 Independence Day flag-hoisting at Republic Square provides recent evidence of official ceremonial use. [4] FOTW also records national and civil use on land and as an ensign at sea. [2]
Source trail
Reviewed 14 September 2026. The Constitution was read in WIPO Lex’s English text. The former UN Mission archive could not be retrieved directly; its quoted explanation was checked in FOTW and is identified as indirect evidence.
- Constitution of the Republic of Maldives (2008), Article 12 and Schedule 3, via WIPO Lex ↗ — legal designation, proportions, crescent geometry and physical color codes; the schedule is on printed pages 113–114.
- Flags of the World: Maldives ↗ — recognized vexillological reference; conflicting historical dates, use classification and quotation of the former UN Mission’s symbolism and construction account.
- President’s Office: 24-hour display directive, 18 November 2023 ↗ — government-institution display.
- President’s Office: Independence Day flag-hoisting, 26 July 2026 ↗ — current use and the independence anniversary.
- Commons specimen, file history and public-domain declarations ↗; local asset provenance ↗ — downloaded geometry and screen fills, with viewBox and descriptive metadata added.
Related records: Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Browse national flags or the Flag Index.