---
title: "Flag of Malta: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Malta flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted. Plus the flags it gets mistaken for."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/malta/
site: "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

*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.*

- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Traditionally from the Norman colours of Count Roger I
- **Red** (#CF142B) — The second Norman colour

## 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

- [Malta](https://atoneplace.net/country/malta/)
- [Every flag with white in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/white/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of India](https://atoneplace.net/flag/india/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [The flag of Japan](https://atoneplace.net/flag/japan/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Brazil](https://atoneplace.net/flag/brazil/)

## Sources

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