Mali vs Senegal
Both fly a vertical green-yellow-red Pan-African tricolor at 2:3. Senegal places a green five-pointed star in the center yellow band. Mali is the same three bands with no star. Guinea is the reverse order (red-yellow-green), not this pair.
- Proportion
- 2:3
- Adopted
- 1961
Colors
- Green #14B53A
- Yellow #FCD116
- Red #CE1126
- Proportion
- 2:3
- Adopted
- 1960
Colors
- Green #00853F
- Yellow #FDEF42
- Red #E31B23
- Star Green #00853F
Look foron Mali
Look foron Senegal
- Green at the hoist, then yellow, then redSame green-yellow-red order as Mali
- No charge in the center bandGreen five-pointed star centered on the yellow band
- Current plain tricolor from March 1, 1961, after the kanaga figure was removedAdopted August 20, 1960, when Senegal left the Mali Federation
Which flag is Mali?
One Federation, Then a Star
The Mali Federation (Senegal and French Sudan) flew green, yellow, and red with a black kanaga figure in the yellow band. When Senegal left the federation in August 1960, it kept the tricolor and replaced the kanaga with a green star. Senegal's current flag dates to August 20, 1960.
Mali (the former French Sudan) kept the federation tricolor, then removed the kanaga on March 1, 1961 after objections to depicting a human figure. That left a plain green-yellow-red vertical flag: Senegal without the star.
Guinea uses the same three colors in reverse (red at the hoist). Cameroon puts a gold star on a green-red-yellow vertical. For this pair, look only at the center yellow: star means Senegal; empty means Mali.
Telling them apart
- Both use 2:3 and equal vertical bands. The star is the only structural difference.
- Mali's green, yellow, and red stand for fertile land, mineral wealth, and independence. Senegal's star stands for national unity; its green also reads as Islam and hope.
- At a glance, do not use hoist color: both start with green. Guinea is the hoist-red cousin.
Questions
Was the star always on Senegal's flag?
The federation flag used a kanaga, not a star. Senegal added the green star when it became independent in 1960. Mali later dropped the kanaga and never added a star.
How do I tell Mali from Guinea?
Mali is green-yellow-red from the hoist. Guinea is red-yellow-green. See Mali vs Guinea for that mirror pair.
More lookalikes
Mali vs Guinea
Mali starts with Green (M-G); Guinea starts with Red (G-R).
Chad vs Romania
Chad has the darker, deeper indigo blue; Romania uses brighter royal cobalt.
Monaco vs Indonesia
Monaco is miniature and squarish (4:5); Indonesia is island-wide (longer 2:3 rectangle).
Australia vs New Zealand
New Zealand has No Commonwealth Star and uses red stars; Australia uses all-white seven-pointed stars.