Flag of Algeria

Quick Facts

Capital

Algiers

Flag adopted

1962

Population

47,400,000

Area

2,381,741 km²

Languages

Arabic

Currency

Algerian dinar (د.ج) — DZD

Demonym

Algerian

Government

presidential republic

Subregion

Northern Africa

Driving side

Right

Timezones

UTC+01:00

Independence

1962

About This Flag

Two equal vertical bands of green on the hoist side and white on the fly side, with a red crescent and a red five-pointed star centered on the boundary of the two colors. The green represents Islam and the beauty of nature, while the white symbolizes peace and purity.

The red crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam and also represent the blood shed during the struggle for independence from France. The current design was adopted on July 3, 1962, when Algeria gained independence, though the flag's origins trace back to the 19th-century resistance movements of Abdel Kadir and was later used by the Algerian liberation front (FLN) during the war of independence from 1954 to 1962.

Bordering countries (6)

Fun Facts

• The flag design is often attributed to Emir Abdel Kadir's resistance forces in the 1830s-1840s, making the design concept over a century older than the independent nation itself.
• Algeria is the largest country in Africa by land area, making its flag one of the most widely flown on the continent.
• During the French colonial period, displaying this flag was illegal and could result in imprisonment, making it a powerful symbol of resistance.
• Algeria's flag was officially enshrined in Article 6 of the country's constitution.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

More Africa Flags

🇦🇴 Angola · 🇧🇯 Benin · 🇧🇼 Botswana · 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso · 🇧🇮 Burundi · 🇨🇲 Cameroon · 🇨🇻 Cape Verde · 🇨🇫 Central African Republic

View all Africa flags →

Explore by Category

Test Your Knowledge!

Think you can identify the flag of Algeria?