Flag of Bangladesh

Quick Facts

Capital

Dhaka

Flag adopted

1972

Population

169,828,911

Area

147,570 km²

Languages

Bengali

Currency

Bangladeshi taka (৳) — BDT

Demonym

Bangladeshi

Government

parliamentary republic

Subregion

Southern Asia

Driving side

Left

Timezones

UTC+06:00

Independence

1971

About This Flag

The flag of Bangladesh features a dark green field with a large red circle offset slightly toward the hoist side. The green represents the lush vegetation and vitality of the land, while the red disc symbolizes the rising sun and the blood shed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The circle is deliberately offset from center so that it appears visually centered when the flag is flying on a mast. Adopted on January 17, 1972, shortly after independence, the design was based on a similar flag used during the liberation struggle, which also included a yellow map of the country inside the red disc — the map was removed for simplicity.

Bordering countries (2)

Fun Facts

• The original liberation war flag (1971) included a yellow silhouette map of Bangladesh inside the red circle, but it was removed from the official flag to simplify the design for mass reproduction.
• The flag's designer, Quamrul Hasan, was a prominent painter known as Potua (folk artist) who was also celebrated for his anti-war protest art.
• The red disc is offset toward the hoist so that when the flag flies and the fabric folds, the circle appears centered to an observer — a design principle shared with Japan's flag.
• Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War lasted nine months and resulted in the creation of one of the world's most densely populated countries, with over 170 million people.

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