🇲🇼

Flag of Malawi

Africa

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Quick Facts

Capital
Lilongwe
Flag adopted
1964
Population
20,734,262
Area
118,484 km²
Languages
English, Chewa
Currency
Malawian kwacha (MK) — MWK
Demonym
Malawian
Government
presidential republic
Subregion
Eastern Africa
Driving side
Left
Timezones
UTC+02:00
Independence
1964

Religions

  • Protestant 60.1%
  • Roman Catholic 17.2%
  • Muslim 13.8%
  • Other 5.6%
  • None 2.1%
  • traditionalist 1.1%

About This Flag

Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red (center), and green (bottom) with a rising sun with 31 rays in the upper half of the black band. The flag was adopted on July 6, 1964, when Malawi gained independence from Britain.

The black represents the African people, red symbolizes the blood shed for independence, and green stands for the country's lush vegetation. The rising sun represents the dawn of freedom and hope for Africa.

The design was briefly replaced from 2010 to 2012 with a full sun, but the original rising sun was restored by parliamentary vote.

What the colors & design mean

Black represents the African people of the continent, red symbolizes the blood of martyrs who fought for independence, and green represents Malawi's rich natural vegetation. The rising sun embodies the dawn of hope and freedom for Africa as a whole.

black red green

Pattern: Horizontal Stripes

Bordering countries (3)

🇲🇿 Mozambique 🇹🇿 Tanzania 🇿🇲 Zambia

Fun Facts

  • Malawi's flag was changed in 2010 to feature a full white sun centered on the flag, but the original rising sun design was restored in 2012 after widespread public opposition.
  • Lake Malawi, covering nearly a third of the country's area, contains more fish species than any other lake on Earth.
  • The 31 rays of the rising sun symbolize that Malawi was the 31st African nation to gain independence.
  • Malawi is known as 'The Warm Heart of Africa' due to the friendliness of its people.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

🇲🇼 Ghana 🇲🇼 Kenya 🇲🇼 Libya 🇲🇼 São Tomé and Príncipe 🇲🇼 Sudan

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