Flag of Indonesia
Asia
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Jakarta
- Flag adopted
- 1945
- Population
- 284,438,782
- Area
- 1,904,569 km²
- Languages
- Indonesian
- Currency
- Indonesian rupiah (Rp) — IDR
- Demonym
- Indonesian
- Government
- presidential republic
- Subregion
- South-Eastern Asia
- Driving side
- Left
- Timezones
- UTC+07:00, UTC+08:00 +1 more
- Independence
- 1945
Religions
- Muslim 87.4%
- Protestant 7.5%
- Roman Catholic 3.1%
- Hindu 1.7%
- Other 0.8%
About This Flag
The flag of Indonesia, known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih ('The Sacred Red-and-White'), is a simple bicolor of two equal horizontal bands — red on top and white on the bottom. The red represents courage and the physical world, while the white symbolizes purity and the spiritual world.
The design is derived from the 13th-century banner of the Majapahit Empire, one of the greatest pre-colonial states in Southeast Asian history. It was first officially hoisted on August 17, 1945, during the proclamation of Indonesian independence from Japan and the Netherlands.
The flag is identical in design to Monaco's flag, differing only in its proportions (2:3 vs. Monaco's 4:5).
What the colors & design mean
Red represents bravery, human blood, and the physical world. White symbolizes purity, the spiritual world, and honesty. Together the colors reflect a centuries-old Austronesian and Javanese dualism of the earthly and the divine.
Pattern: Horizontal Stripes
Bordering countries (3)
Fun Facts
- Indonesia's flag is virtually identical to Monaco's — the same red-over-white bicolor — with the only official difference being the aspect ratio, which has led to formal diplomatic protests from Monaco.
- The original independence-era flag, sewn by Ibu Fatmawati Soekarno (wife of the first president), is so fragile it is no longer flown and is kept in a nitrogen-filled case at the National Monument in Jakarta.
- The red-and-white color combination traces back to the Majapahit Empire (1293-1527), which controlled much of maritime Southeast Asia and used a red-and-white banner.
- Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago nation, comprising over 17,000 islands stretching across more than 5,000 kilometers of ocean.
Similar looking flags
These flags share similar colors and patterns:
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