---
title: "Flag of Libya: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Libya flag stands for, its official 1:2 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted. Plus the flags it gets mistaken for."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/libya/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Libya

**The flag of Libya: A black band filling the centre half of the flag, with red above and green below, and a white crescent and five-pointed star at the centre.**

Ratio 1:2 · current design adopted 2011

From 1977 to 2011 Libya flew a plain green rectangle with no device of any kind — the only single-colour national flag in the history of the world, adopted after Libya left the Federation of Arab Republics. The current flag is the independence flag of 1951, restored in 2011, and its three bands correspond to the three historic provinces. Because the plain green flag was unique, it is a standing answer to the question of the simplest flag ever flown. The black central band is double the height of the other two.

## 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** (#E70013) — The blood shed for freedom, and the Fezzan region
- **Black** (#000000) — Cyrenaica, and the dark period of Italian occupation
- **Green** (#239E46) — Tripolitania, and the country's agricultural wealth

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Crescent and star | Islam, and the beginning of the lunar month |

- **Ratio:** 1:2
- **Current design adopted:** 2011
- **Colours:** red, black, green

## Common questions

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

A black band filling the centre half of the flag, with red above and green below, and a white crescent and five-pointed star at the centre.

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

Red: the blood shed for freedom, and the Fezzan region. Black: cyrenaica, and the dark period of Italian occupation. Green: tripolitania, and the country's agricultural wealth.

### When was the Libya flag adopted?

The current design dates from 2011, and its official ratio is 1:2.

## Related pages

- [Libya](https://atoneplace.net/country/libya/)
- [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)]