🇳🇬

Flag of Nigeria

Africa

Download SVG

Quick Facts

Capital
Abuja
Flag adopted
1960
Population
223,800,000
Area
923,768 km²
Languages
English
Currency
Nigerian naira (₦) — NGN
Demonym
Nigerian
Government
federal presidential republic
Subregion
Western Africa
Driving side
Right
Timezones
UTC+01:00
Independence
1960

Religions

  • Muslim 53.5%
  • Protestant 35.3%
  • Roman Catholic 10.6%
  • Other 0.6%

About This Flag

Three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white (center), and green (fly side). The flag was adopted on October 1, 1960, the day Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom.

It was designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, then a 23-year-old student studying in London, who won a national competition that attracted nearly 3,000 entries. The original winning design included a red sun badge on the white stripe, which was removed by the judges.

Green represents Nigeria's abundant forests and agricultural wealth, while white symbolizes the desire for peace and unity across the nation.

What the colors & design mean

The two green bands represent Nigeria's vast natural wealth, abundant agriculture, and lush forests. The central white band symbolizes peace and unity among the country's diverse ethnic groups and over 250 languages spoken throughout the nation.

green white

Pattern: Vertical Stripes

Bordering countries (4)

🇧🇯 Benin 🇨🇲 Cameroon 🇹🇩 Chad 🇳🇪 Niger

Fun Facts

  • Designer Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi was a 23-year-old undergraduate when he won the flag competition; his winning entry was selected from 2,870 submissions.
  • The judges removed a red radiating sun from the original design's white band, simplifying it to the current three-stripe version.
  • Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and is projected to become the third most populous country in the world by 2050.
  • Despite its simple design, the Nigerian flag is one of the most recognized flags globally due to the country's cultural influence through Nollywood and its music industry.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

🇳🇬 Pakistan 🇳🇬 Algeria 🇳🇬 Ivory Coast 🇳🇬 Madagascar 🇳🇬 Oman

More Africa Flags

🇩🇿 Algeria · 🇦🇴 Angola · 🇧🇯 Benin · 🇧🇼 Botswana · 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso · 🇧🇮 Burundi · 🇨🇲 Cameroon · 🇨🇻 Cape Verde

View all Africa flags →

Explore by Category

Flags with green Flags with white Vertical Stripes

Test Your Knowledge!

Think you can identify the flag of Nigeria?

Play Flag Quiz