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The flag of Mozambique

The flag of Mozambique
Green, black and yellow horizontal bands separated by thin white fimbriations, with a red triangle at the hoist bearing a yellow star, on which sit an open book, a hoe and an AK-47 with a bayonet.
Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1983

Mozambique is the only country with a modern assault rifle on its national flag, and the model is identifiable — a Kalashnikov with a fixed bayonet, on the flag since 1983. Parliament held a competition to replace it in 2005 and received 119 entries; none was adopted, and the rifle stayed. Guatemala's flag shows rifles, and Haiti's and Bolivia's arms include weapons, but none of them is a twentieth-century firearm. The rifle also appears in the coat of arms and on the country's currency.

What the colours mean

  • Green #007168 The riches of the land
  • Black #000000 The African continent
  • Yellow #FCE100 The country's minerals
  • White #FFFFFF Peace, in the thin dividing lines
  • Red #D21034 The struggle for independence

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
AK-47 with bayonet Defence and vigilance
Hoe Agriculture, and the peasantry
Open book Education
Star Internationalism
Ratio
2:3
Current design adopted
1983
Colours
green, black, yellow, white, red

Common questions

What does the flag of Mozambique look like?
Green, black and yellow horizontal bands separated by thin white fimbriations, with a red triangle at the hoist bearing a yellow star, on which sit an open book, a hoe and an AK-47 with a bayonet.
What do the colours of the Mozambique flag mean?
Green: the riches of the land. Black: the African continent. Yellow: the country's minerals. White: peace, in the thin dividing lines. Red: the struggle for independence.
When was the Mozambique flag adopted?
The current design dates from 1983, 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