One of the state symbols of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is its flag, which was officially approved in 1996.
Description and proportions of the flag of Ethiopia
The Ethiopian flag is a rectangle that is half the width of its length. It is a classic tricolor with equal stripes. The lowest stripe is bright red, the middle field is dark yellow, and the top is a stripe of dark green. The middle of the flag is occupied by the country's coat of arms, located at an equal distance from the edges of the panel.
Ethiopia's coat of arms on its flag is a blue circle with the country's emblem in yellow. It is a five-pointed star and five rays radiating from it.
The blue background of the coat of arms symbolizes peace for the peoples of Ethiopia, and the pentagram is their indestructible unity. The colors of the flag remind of the important qualities and hopes of the people of the country. The red stripe is a tribute to the heroism shown by patriots in the struggle for independence, the yellow field represents equality and hope for justice, and the green color is a symbol of development and labor.
History of the flag of Ethiopia
The history of the appearance of the Ethiopian flag began at the end of the 19th century, when a struggle began in the country to unite the country into a centralized state. In 1897, the green-yellow-red tricolor was raised on flagpoles for the first time in honor of the victory over the Italian army, which had previously occupied the Tigre region of Ethiopia. In addition, Ethiopia halted the advance of the British colonial empire on the black continent.
In the twentieth century, Italy again attempted to seize Ethiopia, which was crowned with success, but already five years later in 1941, the British liberated the country, and a lion wearing a golden crown appeared on the Ethiopian flag.
Over the next few decades, the country was shaken by internal and external conflicts, and different coats of arms appeared on the tricolor. In 1975, the tricolor was decorated with a coat of arms depicting a bird flying against the background of a golden sun. The blue disc that served as the background for this image was bordered by the green branches in the form of a wreath.
Then the monarchy in the country was replaced by the "Red Terror", and the flag received a new coat of arms, depicting the rays of the sun on a blue disk, and a star crowning the emblem. 1991 brought the overthrow of the pro-communist regime, and the Ethiopian flag returned to a version of a simple three-color banner. In 1996, its final version was officially approved, which is used today in Ethiopia.
