---
title: "Flag of Bahrain: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Bahrain flag stands for, its official 3:5 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/bahrain/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Bahrain

**The flag of Bahrain: A red field with a white band at the hoist, separated by five white triangular points.**

Ratio 3:5 · current design adopted 2002

Bahrain had eight points until 2002, when the number was reduced to five to match the pillars of Islam and to widen the gap with Qatar's nine. The white hoist band originates in the nineteenth-century truce treaties: Gulf states added white to their red flags to signal they had made peace with Britain. Bahrain's red is a bright scarlet against Qatar's maroon, and its 3:5 ratio is ordinary where Qatar's is extreme. The serration itself is what makes both flags unmistakable in a lineup.

## Flags it gets confused with

| Flag | How to tell them apart |
| --- | --- |
| Qatar | Qatar is maroon rather than red, has nine points, and is much longer at 11:28. |

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **Red** (#CE1126) — The traditional colour of the Gulf sheikhdoms
- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Peace, and the truce treaties with Britain

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Five points | The five pillars of Islam |

- **Ratio:** 3:5
- **Current design adopted:** 2002
- **Colours:** red, white

## Common questions

### What does the flag of Bahrain look like?

A red field with a white band at the hoist, separated by five white triangular points.

### What do the colours of the Bahrain flag mean?

Red: the traditional colour of the Gulf sheikhdoms. White: peace, and the truce treaties with Britain.

### How do you tell the Bahrain flag from the Qatar one?

Qatar is maroon rather than red, has nine points, and is much longer at 11:28.

### When was the Bahrain flag adopted?

The current design dates from 2002, and its official ratio is 3:5.

## Related pages

- [Bahrain](https://atoneplace.net/country/bahrain/)
- [The flag of Qatar](https://atoneplace.net/flag/qatar/)
- [Every flag with red in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/red/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of China](https://atoneplace.net/flag/china/)
- [The flag of Germany](https://atoneplace.net/flag/germany/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Italy](https://atoneplace.net/flag/italy/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]