At One Place

The flag of Malta

The flag of Malta
Two equal vertical bands, white at the hoist and red, with a grey George Cross edged in red in the upper hoist corner.
Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1964

Malta is the only country whose flag carries a foreign decoration: King George VI awarded the George Cross to the entire island population in April 1942, and it went onto the flag rather than into a museum. It was originally shown on a blue canton; the blue was removed in 1964 at independence, leaving the cross outlined in red. The white and red are traditionally traced to Roger I of Sicily in 1090, a story with no contemporary evidence. The eight-pointed Maltese cross, which most visitors associate with the island, appears on the civil ensign, not the national flag.

What the colours mean

  • White #FFFFFF Traditionally from the Norman colours of Count Roger I
  • Red #CF142B The second Norman colour

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.

The symbols on it

What What it stands for
George Cross The British civilian gallantry award, granted to the whole island in 1942 for withstanding the siege
Ratio
2:3
Current design adopted
1964
Colours
white, red

Common questions

What does the flag of Malta look like?
Two equal vertical bands, white at the hoist and red, with a grey George Cross edged in red in the upper hoist corner.
What do the colours of the Malta flag mean?
White: traditionally from the Norman colours of Count Roger I. Red: the second Norman colour.
When was the Malta flag adopted?
The current design dates from 1964, and its official ratio is 2:3.

Related pages

Sources

  1. The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (Public domain (US Government))

How these figures are compiled and checked