Maldives Flag

Description

The Maldives flag is available from Flags Online in full-size and desk formats, printed on both sides and made to last outdoors.

About the Maldives Flag

Few flags condense a nation’s geography and faith into so few shapes as the Maldives flag does. A red border frames a green rectangle, and inside that green field sits a single white crescent, its points turned away from the hoist. It is a simple design by international standards, but every part of it carries specific meaning for the island nation.

Colours and Symbolism

Red marks the border of the flag and is explained by Maldivian tradition as a tribute to those who gave their lives defending the country, a mark of the willingness of past generations to sacrifice for its independence. Green, filling the central rectangle, stands for peace and for the prosperity the islands draw from the sea and from the palm trees that dot them. The white crescent is the clearest signal of all: it marks Islam as the state religion, a fact written into Maldivian law as well as into the Maldives flag itself.

History of the Maldives Flag

Maldivian flags have changed several times over the centuries, starting from what is thought to have been a plain red field flown by early sultans. A black and white striped panel was added later, and in the early twentieth century a crescent was introduced to the design. Further changes followed the country’s brief spell as a republic in the 1950s. The black and white stripe was finally dropped in 1965, and the Maldives flag in its current form was adopted on 25 July that year, the same day the country secured independence from British protection.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Maldives flag is raised each morning and lowered each evening on government buildings across Malé and the outer atolls, a routine most residents barely notice but visitors often do. Its orientation matters: the crescent’s open side faces the fly, away from the pole, and the flag should never be displayed upside down or with the colours reversed. It appears widely during Independence Day commemorations in July and on Republic Day, and is a familiar sight at resorts and harbours throughout the archipelago, where it is usually flown alongside a resort or atoll banner rather than replaced by one.

Maldives Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 180 x 120cm — R860
• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R400

Material and Construction

Made from 100% polyester bunting material and digitally printed on both sides. Hemmed all around with two rows of stitching and finished with a polyester webbing heading. Rope and toggle for hoisting included.

Supplied in packs of 10. Printed on both sides onto polyester and supplied with a black plastic stick and removable base — take the base off and it doubles as a hand waving flag.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Maldives flag is printed to order and dispatched from our Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Johannesburg branches, with courier delivery nationwide. Bulk and school orders are welcome — contact us for volume pricing on quantities of 10 or more.

Additional information