---
title: "Flag of Mauritania: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Mauritania flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/mauritania/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Mauritania

**The flag of Mauritania: A green field with a horizontal gold crescent, points upward, above which sits a gold five-pointed star, and with a red horizontal band at the top and bottom edges.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 2017

Until a 2017 referendum, Mauritania's flag was green and gold only, and it and Jamaica were the only two national flags containing none of red, white or blue. Adding the two red stripes left Jamaica alone in that category. The crescent points upward rather than sideways, which is unusual and specified: it is drawn as a cup. The 2017 change also abolished the senate, so the flag amendment was a small part of a much larger constitutional vote.

## 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.*

- **Green** (#006233) — Islam, and hope for a prosperous future
- **Gold** (#FFC400) — The sands of the Sahara
- **Red** (#CD2A3E) — The blood shed resisting colonisation; added in 2017

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 2017
- **Colours:** green, gold, red

## Common questions

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

A green field with a horizontal gold crescent, points upward, above which sits a gold five-pointed star, and with a red horizontal band at the top and bottom edges.

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

Green: islam, and hope for a prosperous future. Gold: the sands of the Sahara. Red: the blood shed resisting colonisation; added in 2017.

### When was the Mauritania flag adopted?

The current design dates from 2017, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [Mauritania](https://atoneplace.net/country/mauritania/)
- [Every flag with green in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/green/)
- [The flag of India](https://atoneplace.net/flag/india/)
- [The flag of Brazil](https://atoneplace.net/flag/brazil/)
- [The flag of Italy](https://atoneplace.net/flag/italy/)
- [The flag of Mexico](https://atoneplace.net/flag/mexico/)
- [The flag of Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/flag/ireland/)
- [The flag of South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/flag/south-africa/)
- [The flag of Jamaica](https://atoneplace.net/flag/jamaica/)
- [The flag of Pakistan](https://atoneplace.net/flag/pakistan/)

## Sources

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