Flag of Afghanistan

Facts about the Flag of Afghanistan

1. Afghanistan has changed its flag more often than any other country in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with well over twenty designs since 1901.
2. Most versions have carried a depiction of a mosque with a mihrab and minbar, which makes it one of the few national flags to show a religious building.
3. The flag of Afghanistan was officially adopted on August 15, 2021.
4. The design is older than its adoption. It was already in use in 1997, 24 years before it was formally made the flag of Afghanistan.
5. The flag in its present form is 5 years old as of 2026.
6. Design type: White field with the shahada in black script.
7. The official proportions are 1:2. It shares that ratio with 54 national flags.
8. The flag uses 2 colours: white and black.
9. The white on the flag stands for the field.
10. The black on the flag stands for the shahada script.
11. Shahada: The Islamic declaration of faith — Afghanistan has changed its flag more often than any other country, more than twenty times in the last century.
12. The design belongs to the "Plain field with a central emblem" family, shared with 70 other flags in this reference.
13. Flags most often confused with it: South Korea.
14. Afghanistan became independent on 19 August 1919 from the United Kingdom.
15. Afghanistan regained control of its foreign affairs after the Third Anglo-Afghan War; it was never fully colonised.
16. Buzkashi, played on horseback, is the national sport; cricket and football are the most popular.
17. The national animal is the snow leopard.
18. The national anthem is "National Anthem of Afghanistan".