Flag of Ethiopia

Country

Flag of Ethiopia uses horizontal tricolour with a blue disc bearing a golden star. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption October 31, 2009.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Ethiopia
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Identifier	ET / ETH
Region	Eastern Africa

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	October 31, 2009
First Documented Use	1897
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Green, Yellow, Red, Blue, Gold
Construction	Horizontal tricolour with a blue disc bearing a golden star

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Green	#078930	7, 137, 48	95, 0, 65, 46
Yellow	#FCDD09	252, 221, 9	0, 12, 96, 1
Red	#DA121A	218, 18, 26	0, 92, 88, 15
Blue	#0F47AF	15, 71, 175	91, 59, 0, 31
Gold	#FFC621	255, 198, 33	0, 22, 87, 0

Design and Symbolism

Green	the land and hope.
Yellow	peace and harmony among the nations.
Red	strength and the sacrifice of the patriots.
Blue	peace.
Gold	the star and its rays.
Golden star	The unity and equality of all Ethiopian nationalities.
Blue disc	Peace and democracy.
Rays	The bright future of the peoples of Ethiopia.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of Ethiopia

Horizontal tricolour with a blue disc bearing a golden star The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with horizontal tricolour with a central emblem designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Ethiopia is Green (#078930), Yellow (#FCDD09), Red (#DA121A), Blue (#0F47AF) and Gold (#FFC621). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Golden star: The unity and equality of all Ethiopian nationalities; Blue disc: Peace and democracy; Rays: The bright future of the peoples of Ethiopia.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1897. The adoption field for the present record is October 31, 2009.

Additional flag context

The green, yellow and red of Ethiopia are the origin of the Pan-African colours. Ethiopia was the only African state to resist colonisation, and newly independent countries adopted its palette as a statement.

The blue disc with a gold star and rays was added in 1996; earlier versions of the flag carried a lion, a plain tricolour, or a socialist emblem.

The star's points are usually explained as the unity and equality of Ethiopia's peoples.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Horizontal tricolour with a blue disc bearing a golden star, a 1:2 proportion and the visible golden star. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Ethiopia — Specialist vexillological reference

Other horizontal tricolour with a central emblem flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is recorded as horizontal tricolour with a blue disc bearing a golden star.
The reference proportion for the flag of Ethiopia is 1:2.
The stored palette for Ethiopia contains Green, Yellow, Red, Blue and Gold.
The adoption field for this country flag record is October 31, 2009.
The design record traces first use to 1897.
Its construction is grouped with the horizontal tricolour with a central emblem design family in this library.
Golden star: The unity and equality of all Ethiopian nationalities.
Blue disc: Peace and democracy.
The green, yellow and red of Ethiopia are the origin of the Pan-African colours. Ethiopia was the only African state to resist colonisation, and newly independent countries adopted its palette as a statement.
The blue disc with a gold star and rays was added in 1996; earlier versions of the flag carried a lion, a plain tricolour, or a socialist emblem.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Ethiopia

What does the flag of Ethiopia look like?

Horizontal tricolour with a blue disc bearing a golden star, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Ethiopia?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:2.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Ethiopia?

The reference palette lists Green #078930, Yellow #FCDD09, Red #DA121A, Blue #0F47AF and Gold #FFC621.

What do the symbols on the flag of Ethiopia represent?

Golden star — The unity and equality of all Ethiopian nationalities. Blue disc — Peace and democracy. Rays — The bright future of the peoples of Ethiopia.

When was the present flag record for Ethiopia adopted?

The adoption field in this record is October 31, 2009.

Which design family does the flag of Ethiopia belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with horizontal tricolour with a central emblem designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Ethiopia?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.