Maldives flag

The first Maldivian flag was almost completely red and was used by the Sultans until the beginning of the 20th century . The choice of color was not accidental: the red flag stands out well against the backdrop of the sea landscape. Shkatorina was painted white and black in such a way that it was a continuation of the flagpole. The fact is that in those days flagpoles were painted in white and black stripes in a spiral. Sometimes this historical flag is mistakenly associated with communist symbols , but such a connection is not possible, since the flag appeared before the communist movement.

As a result of the successful campaign conducted by the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century , to promote the crescent moon (which was originally the symbol of Constantinople ) as one of the symbols of Islam , Prime Minister Amir Abdul Majid Didi placed a crescent moon on the flag. His horns were pointing towards the pole, and the crescent itself was on a green field in the center of the flag. This version of the flag, erroneous by Byzantine standards , lasted until 1947 , when a new flag with a crescent moon was introduced, whose horns pointed to the free unit .

The modern version was adopted on July 25, 1965 , when a black and white stripe was removed from the flag.

The red color symbolizes the courage of the national heroes of the past, present and future, who did not hesitate (and will not hesitate) when it was necessary to sacrifice themselves to protect the nation, to shed their blood. The green rectangle in the center represents the countless number of coconut trees that grow on the islands, which have been the source of life at all times and continue to be used for various needs today. The white crescent symbolizes the state religion - Islam .