Somalia’s national flag has a light-blue field with a single white five-pointed star in the centre. It was designed before independence and first adopted in 1954.

What does the star mean?

The five points historically represented five territories inhabited by Somali people: Italian Somaliland, British Somaliland, French Somaliland (Djibouti), the Ogaden region and the Northern Frontier District of Kenya.

Why light blue?

The color was inspired by the flag of the United Nations, which played an important role in the trusteeship period before independence. The design was retained when the Somali Republic was formed in 1960.

• Adopted: 1954
• Colors: light blue and white
• Star points: five