Flag of Ethiopia

How to read it

Article 3 of the Constitution of Ethiopia, adopted on 8 December 1994, sets green at the top, yellow in the middle and red at the bottom in equal horizontal stripes, with a national emblem at the centre that is to reflect the hope of Ethiopia’s nations, nationalities, peoples and religious communities to live together in equality and unity. The details are in the Flag Proclamation No. 654/2009, published on 28 August 2009, which replaced the Flag and Emblem Proclamation No. 16/1996. The flag is twice as long as it is high and its colours are to be bright and basic. The blue disc is placed so that its edge reaches the middle of the green and of the red stripe. The proclamation forbids using the flag without its emblem. It sets National Flag Day on the second Monday of the Ethiopian month of Meskerem; in 2019 the House of Peoples’ Representatives announced the 12th Flag Day for Monday 13 October, saying the day falls on the first Monday of Tikimt.

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The emblem, line by line

The proclamation describes the emblem as a blue circle with straight, equal yellow lines coming from all directions and joining each other, a star formed by those lines, and yellow rays coming from the points where the lines cross. It explains each part: the blue background is peace; the straight, equal lines are the equality of the nations, nationalities and peoples and of the religions; the star they form is the unity those peoples founded by their common will; and the yellow rays are the bright prospect in sight for them.

Where the pan-African colours come from

The green, yellow and red of many African flags reflect the colours of Ethiopia’s flag, the Brooklyn Museum’s guide to African flags says, and Ethiopia’s resistance to colonial occupation inspired many African nations. Ghana’s flag, designed by Theodosia Okoh, carries the pan-African colours with a black star. The other set of pan-African colours, red, black and green, is the pan-African flag of Marcus Garvey, from 1920.

What flag is red, yellow and green?

Several flags use these three colours; the order and the emblem tell them apart. Ethiopia’s runs green, yellow, red from the top, with the blue disc and star in the centre. Bolivia’s constitution names a red, yellow and green tricolour, and Lithuania’s gives its flag’s colours as yellow, green and red. Ghana’s adds a black star.

The debate over the emblem

The emblem has been argued over. In October 2019 the House of Peoples’ Representatives said there was broad agreement that the flag is a symbol of the country’s sovereignty, but that it had become difficult to create consensus on the emblem; the differences could be resolved legally and through discussion, and it urged people to respect the flag until a decision was made, the Ethiopian News Agency reported.