Flag of United Arab Emirates

Facts about the Flag of United Arab Emirates

1. The red vertical band at the hoist with green, white and black horizontal bands beside it combines the Pan-Arab colours in an arrangement used by no other country.
2. The design was selected from more than a thousand entries in a 1971 competition; the winner, Abdullah Al Maainah, was nineteen at the time.
3. The flag of United Arab Emirates was officially adopted on December 2, 1971. It was designed by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah.
4. The flag in its present form is 55 years old as of 2026.
5. Design type: Red hoist band with three horizontal bands.
6. The official proportions are 1:2. It shares that ratio with 54 national flags.
7. The flag uses 4 colours: red, green, white and black.
8. The red on the flag stands for unity of the Arab peoples and the blood of sacrifice.
9. The green on the flag stands for fertility and hope.
10. The white on the flag stands for neutrality and peace.
11. Pan-Arab colours: The design won a national competition entered by a 19-year-old student, chosen from more than a thousand entries.
12. The design belongs to the "Combined horizontal and vertical bands" family, shared with 6 other flags in this reference.
13. Flags most often confused with it: Benin, Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau.
14. United Arab Emirates became independent on 2 December 1971 from the United Kingdom.
15. Six emirates federated in December 1971 and Ras al-Khaimah joined in February 1972.
16. Football is the most popular sport; falconry and camel racing are the traditional ones.
17. The national animal is the Arabian oryx, with the peregrine falcon as national bird.
18. The national anthem is "Ishy Bilady".