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Flag of Ethiopia

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Flag of Ethiopia.svg
Use National flag and ensign
Proportion 1:2
Adopted 31 October 1996
Design a horizontal tricolor of green, yellow and red with the National Emblem superimposed at the center.
Designed by Abebe Alambo

The national flag of Ethiopia (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሰንደቅ ዓላማ?, ye-Ityoppya Sendeq Alama) was adopted on 31 October 1996. It conforms to the specifications set forth in Article 3 of the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia. However, the diameter of the central disc is increased from that of the flag used from 6 February to 31 October 1996. The three traditional colours of green, yellow and red date back to Iyasu V (reigned 1913-1916). The current flag and emblem were adopted after the defeat of Ethiopia's Marxist Derg regime (in power from 1974 to 1991). The emblem is intended to represent both the diversity and unity of the country. Blue represents peace, the star represents diversity and unity, and the sun's rays symbolise prosperity. The green recalls the land, yellow stands for peace and hope, and red is symbolic of strength.

The green, yellow and red were used for the flag of the Ethiopian Empire in 1914. A year after Ethiopia decisively defended itself from Italian colonization at the Battle of Adwa, Menelik II on 6 October 1897 ordered the three pennants combined in a rectangular tricolor from top to bottom of red, yellow, and green with the first letter of his own name (the Amharic me) on the central stripe. In 1914 the flag was reversed to it's today's flag. The flag's tri-colour scheme has existed since the early 19th century, and the colours red, yellow, and green have carried special importance since at least the early 17th century.

The royal flag often featured the emblem of a Lion of Judah, a crowned lion carrying a cross centred in the banner's yellow midsection. The flag is understood to be a link between the Ethiopian church, the peoples, and the nation that was united. The processional cross carried by the lion was the former flag or symbol of Ethiopia, and has likewise been in use since at least the early 17th century. Whilst red is currently featured at the bottom of the horizontal tricolour, this was reversed until the mid-19th century. The emblem was added in 1996. What the colours symbolise varies depending on point of view. However, generally, red represents blood spilled in defense of Ethiopia; yellow represents peace and harmony between Ethiopia's various ethnic and religious groups; and green is said to symbolize hope, or the land and its fertility. Upon gaining independence from colonial rule, several newly established countries in Africa adopted these three colours in homage to Ethiopia's resistance against foreign occupation. When adopted by Pan-Africanist polities and organizations for their activities, the colours are often referred to as the Pan-African colours.


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