Mauritania’s national flag has a green field with a gold crescent and star, plus red horizontal stripes along the top and bottom. The red stripes were added in 2017.

Meaning

Green and the crescent-and-star motif reflect the country’s Islamic identity. Gold is associated with the Sahara and national wealth. The red bands were introduced to honour sacrifices made in defence of the country.

History

Mauritania originally adopted a plain green flag with a gold crescent and star around independence in 1959–1960. A constitutional referendum in 2017 approved the addition of the two red stripes.

• Original design: 1959
• Red stripes added: 2017
• Colors: green, gold and red