| Colors | HEX Code | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | #D01C1F | 208, 28, 31 | 0, 87, 85, 18 |
| Green | #00A95C | 0, 169, 92 | 100, 0, 46, 34 |
| Yellow | #FFD700 | 255, 215, 0 | 0, 16, 100, 0 |
The flag of Mauritania has a green field with two horizontal red borders on the top and bottom of the middle green stripe which is wider than the red stripes. A yellow crescent pointing upwards and a five-pointed yellow star are placed on the center of the flag.
Meaning of the Mauritania Flag
The green color with the yellow crescent and star represents the Islamic faith. The green is also for future and prosperity, and the yellow stands for the Sahara. The red color represents the blood shed for independence.
History of the Mauritania Flag
Mauritania has been the home of Arabs and Berbers in addition to various other ethnicities. In 1895 the French took control of Mauritania. The French tricolor was the flag used at that time. The country was a French protectorate, then it became a colony. It was part of French West Africa that included many other African countries. In 1959, as Mauritania was getting ready for independence, a flag that had a green field with a yellow crescent and a star was adopted. The flag’s colors were inspired by the Pan-African colors. The flag was hoisted on independence in 1960 and remained unchanged until 2017. The suggestion to add two red bands for the flag as a symbol of people who lost their lives in the struggle for independence was approved and the new flag became official in 2017.