Western Sahara Flag

Description

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

About the Western Sahara Flag

The Western Sahara flag, formally the flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, was adopted on 27 February 1976 by the Polisario Front as it declared the SADR in exile. It uses three horizontal bands of black, white and green, with a red triangle at the hoist bearing a red star and crescent. Anyone researching the Western Sahara flag will notice its close resemblance to the Palestinian flag, a similarity that is intentional and rooted in shared pan-Arab symbolism rather than coincidence.

Colours and Symbolism

Green on the Western Sahara flag represents hope, in this case the hope of a return to ancestral lands. White stands for peace and purity, and black is generally read as a mark of mourning for those who died in the territory’s conflicts. The red triangle and the red used in the star and crescent represent the blood of those lost in the struggle for self-determination. The crescent moon points to the Muslim character of the Sahrawi people, while the five-pointed star marks their Arab identity, both drawn from the same broader pan-Arab colour tradition used across much of the Middle East and North Africa.

History of the Western Sahara Flag

Spain controlled the territory as a colony from the late nineteenth century until its withdrawal in 1975. What followed was a division of the territory between Morocco and Mauritania, an arrangement the Polisario Front rejected on behalf of the Sahrawi people. The SADR was proclaimed in exile in February 1976, and this flag was adopted at the same time as its national emblem. Its design draws directly on the pan-Arab colours associated with the 1916 Arab Revolt, the same source used by Palestine, Jordan, Sudan and several other flags in the region. A UN-brokered ceasefire followed in 1991, but the sovereignty of the territory remains unresolved, and the flag continues to be used by the Sahrawi movement and its supporters internationally.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Western Sahara flag is flown at Sahrawi refugee camps, by Polisario Front institutions, and by supporters and solidarity groups around the world, including at some diplomatic missions where the SADR is recognised. Given the unresolved status of the territory, the flag is best understood and presented as a documented historical and political symbol rather than as the flag of a universally recognised state. Its layout, with the red triangle and star-and-crescent set against black, white and green stripes, should be reproduced accurately, in the same proportions used by other pan-Arab flags of similar design.

Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara 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