Flag of Indonesia

Facts about the Flag of Indonesia

1. The red over white bicolour is traced to the banners of the Majapahit empire and was used by the independence movement long before 1945.
2. It is identical to Monaco's flag except in proportion, and the reverse of Poland's.
3. The original flag raised at the 1945 declaration of independence survives and is displayed once a year rather than flown.
4. The flag of Indonesia was officially adopted on August 17, 1945.
5. The design is older than its adoption. It was already in use in 1293, 652 years before it was formally made the flag of Indonesia.
6. The flag in its present form is 81 years old as of 2026.
7. Design type: Horizontal bicolour.
8. The flag is known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih, a name used far more often than the formal "flag of Indonesia".
9. The official proportions are 2:3. It shares that ratio with 82 national flags.
10. The flag uses 2 colours: red and white.
11. The red on the flag stands for courage and the human body.
12. The white on the flag stands for purity and the human spirit.
13. Sang Saka Merah-Putih: “The Lofty Bicolour”, its colours traced to the 13th-century Majapahit empire.
14. Similarity to Monaco: The flags differ only in proportion, and to Poland’s, which is the same design inverted.
15. The design belongs to the "Horizontal bicolour" family, shared with 5 other flags in this reference.
16. Flags most often confused with it: Monaco and Poland.
17. Indonesia became independent on 17 August 1945 from the Netherlands.
18. Independence was proclaimed in 1945 and recognised by the Netherlands in December 1949 after four years of fighting.