Flag of Somaliland
Encyclopedia
The current flag of Somaliland
was introduced on October 14, 1996, when it was approved by the National Conference. Somaliland is a de facto independent republic which is recognized as a part of Somalia
(that part formerly known as British Somaliland
). Having established its own local government in 1991, the region's self-declared independence remains unrecognized
by any country or international organization.
The flag in general contains the Pan-Arab colors
of green, black, white and red. On the green stripe, there is the Shahadah in white script, similar to that of the Saudi Arabian flag
.
Constitution of Somaliland, as approved on May 31, 2001 by referendum:
Article 7: The Flag, the Emblem and the National Anthem
1. The flag of the Republic of Somaliland shall consist of three horizontal, parallel and equal sections, the top section, which is coloured green and has inscribed in its midst in white in Arabic language La Ilaha Ill-Allah, Muhammadan Rasulullah ( لا إله إلاَّ الله محمد رسول الله, There is no god except for Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God); the middle section is white and has at its centre a black star; and the bottom section is coloured red.
has huge importance in Islam, the first pillar of Islam etc, regulations have specially been made on the usage of the flag.
(which says in Arabic There is no other God except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) written on it so it will be an un-Islamic and disrespectful way to treat the flag. Even if the President or someone with a high Somaliland governmental status dies, the flag does not fly at half-mast. When the second President of Somaliland Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal died, he received a state funeral
and thousands of Somalis
flocked to witness his funeral and mourn his death but the Flag of Somaliland
was raised at full mast instead of the traditional half-mast gesture. Moreover, if a person is seen lowering the flag at half-mast, they might be taken to gaol or to court
and it would be considered as a criminal offence. Similar rules, for the same reason, also apply to the flag
of Saudi Arabia
.
Some flags have a plain green band, without the Shahada, hence may be exempt from the half-mast rule (although this is unclear), other flags have the Shahada written along the full length of the green stripe.
Most Somaliland flags are of the ratio 2:1. It is based on the official ratio of the Union Flag
of the United Kingdom
, the former colonial power. Pictures of flags on the internet etc. often erroneously show a shorter flag (of ratio 2:3 etc).
annexed and occupied the area that encompasses Somaliland
in 1903, they established a protectorate
and made it part of the British Empire
. The British adopted a new flag for the region (officially named British Somaliland
). Like many Commonwealth
countries, the flag had a defaced Blue Ensign
: a blue field with the Union Flag
in the upper hoist quarter of the flag. There was an image of a Kudu
(an antelope
native to the Somaliland area) on a white disc. The flag was flown on top of Somali fleet or Government buildings in British Somaliland
.
's badge and flag changed and thus all flags which bore it. The flag still had the Union flag
on the quarter-hoist. The Kudu
's head and shoulders were retained and taken off to formed the most dominant feature on the new arms, although the antelope's face was now looking straight out at the observer. Between its horns, the Royal crown
was inserted to symbolize the Royal family
and the British Empire
in general.
The badge was changed as well; it consisted of an escutcheon divided vertically into green and blue colours, having a chief with a golden Somali shield in front of two spears in saltire
, heads downwards, in natural colours. The green portion contained an image of a white minaret
. Moreover, on the blue quarter, an Arabian dhow
in full sail on waves of the sea, with a golden anchor in the base. The Kudu
's head was facing forward to the observer instead of facing left on the earlier version. Above, the Kudu
was the Royal Crown
between the horns. Underneath, there was a wreath coloured in green and yellow which formed the Crest
.
When British Somaliland
was granted independence on 26 June 1960 and united with Italian Somaliland
on 1 July 1960, the flag was no longer used.
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
was introduced on October 14, 1996, when it was approved by the National Conference. Somaliland is a de facto independent republic which is recognized as a part of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
(that part formerly known as British Somaliland
British Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
). Having established its own local government in 1991, the region's self-declared independence remains unrecognized
Diplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
by any country or international organization.
The flag in general contains the Pan-Arab colors
Pan-Arab colors
The Pan-Arab colors are black, white, green, and red. They were first combined in the flag of the Arab Revolt in 1916. They are used currently in the flags of Jordan, Kuwait, Palestinian Authority, Sahrawi Republic, Sudan, Libya and the United Arab Emirates. A sub-set of the Pan-Arab colors are...
of green, black, white and red. On the green stripe, there is the Shahadah in white script, similar to that of the Saudi Arabian flag
Flag of Saudi Arabia
The flag of Saudi Arabia is the flag used by the government of Saudi Arabia since March 15, 1973. It is a green flag featuring in white an Arabic inscription and a sword. The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script...
.
Constitution of Somaliland, as approved on May 31, 2001 by referendum:
Article 7: The Flag, the Emblem and the National Anthem
1. The flag of the Republic of Somaliland shall consist of three horizontal, parallel and equal sections, the top section, which is coloured green and has inscribed in its midst in white in Arabic language La Ilaha Ill-Allah, Muhammadan Rasulullah ( لا إله إلاَّ الله محمد رسول الله, There is no god except for Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God); the middle section is white and has at its centre a black star; and the bottom section is coloured red.
Design symbolism
- GreenGreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
- Prosperity - WhiteWhiteWhite is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
- Peace - RedRedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
- The blood of the fallen heroes of the liberation from rule by Somalia - Shahadah - Islam
- BlackBlackBlack is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
starStarA star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
- The demise of the dream of Greater SomaliaGreater SomaliaGreater Somalia refers to those regions in the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis are and have historically represented the predominant population. Greater Somalia encompasses Somalia, Djibouti, the Ogaden of Ethiopia and the North Eastern Province of Kenya. Pan-Somalism refers to the vision...
Rules for the usage of the Flag
The government set out principles on how to use the flag. It should be treated with respect and used very carefully and sensitivity. Because the ShahadaShahada
The Shahada , means "to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed"/testification; it is the name of the Islamic creed. The shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet...
has huge importance in Islam, the first pillar of Islam etc, regulations have specially been made on the usage of the flag.
Half mast
It is forbidden for Somalis to fly the flag at half mast because it has the ShahadaShahada
The Shahada , means "to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed"/testification; it is the name of the Islamic creed. The shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet...
(which says in Arabic There is no other God except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) written on it so it will be an un-Islamic and disrespectful way to treat the flag. Even if the President or someone with a high Somaliland governmental status dies, the flag does not fly at half-mast. When the second President of Somaliland Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal died, he received a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
and thousands of Somalis
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
flocked to witness his funeral and mourn his death but the Flag of Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
was raised at full mast instead of the traditional half-mast gesture. Moreover, if a person is seen lowering the flag at half-mast, they might be taken to gaol or to court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
and it would be considered as a criminal offence. Similar rules, for the same reason, also apply to the flag
Flag of Saudi Arabia
The flag of Saudi Arabia is the flag used by the government of Saudi Arabia since March 15, 1973. It is a green flag featuring in white an Arabic inscription and a sword. The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script...
of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
Alternative flags
Although the aforementioned Article 7 clearly states that the bottom of the flag is red, many versions have been seen with a clear orange colour instead. Another variation is the orientation of the star, many Somaliland flags have the star pointing the opposite direction from other flags, this upside-down star version is used quite widely.Some flags have a plain green band, without the Shahada, hence may be exempt from the half-mast rule (although this is unclear), other flags have the Shahada written along the full length of the green stripe.
Most Somaliland flags are of the ratio 2:1. It is based on the official ratio of the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the former colonial power. Pictures of flags on the internet etc. often erroneously show a shorter flag (of ratio 2:3 etc).
1903 - 1950
When the BritishUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
annexed and occupied the area that encompasses Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
in 1903, they established a protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
and made it part of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. The British adopted a new flag for the region (officially named British Somaliland
British Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
). Like many Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries, the flag had a defaced Blue Ensign
Blue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....
: a blue field with the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
in the upper hoist quarter of the flag. There was an image of a Kudu
Kudu
The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros- Etymology :...
(an antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
native to the Somaliland area) on a white disc. The flag was flown on top of Somali fleet or Government buildings in British Somaliland
British Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
.
1950 - 1960
In 1950 The Protectorate of British SomalilandBritish Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
's badge and flag changed and thus all flags which bore it. The flag still had the Union flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
on the quarter-hoist. The Kudu
Kudu
The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros- Etymology :...
's head and shoulders were retained and taken off to formed the most dominant feature on the new arms, although the antelope's face was now looking straight out at the observer. Between its horns, the Royal crown
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at other state functions...
was inserted to symbolize the Royal family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
and the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in general.
The badge was changed as well; it consisted of an escutcheon divided vertically into green and blue colours, having a chief with a golden Somali shield in front of two spears in saltire
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
, heads downwards, in natural colours. The green portion contained an image of a white minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
. Moreover, on the blue quarter, an Arabian dhow
Dhow
Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Some historians believe the dhow was invented by Arabs but this is disputed by some others. Dhows typically weigh 300 to 500 tons, and have a...
in full sail on waves of the sea, with a golden anchor in the base. The Kudu
Kudu
The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros- Etymology :...
's head was facing forward to the observer instead of facing left on the earlier version. Above, the Kudu
Kudu
The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros- Etymology :...
was the Royal Crown
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at other state functions...
between the horns. Underneath, there was a wreath coloured in green and yellow which formed the Crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
.
When British Somaliland
British Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
was granted independence on 26 June 1960 and united with Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
on 1 July 1960, the flag was no longer used.