Official Palette
Symbolism
Green represents the fertility of the land, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth and purity, and red represents the blood shed for independence.
History
Adopted on March 1, 1961. It is identical to the flag of Senegal without the star. It was originally part of the Mali Federation flag which featured a black stick figure.
Construction
A 2:3 ratio. A vertical tricolor of green, yellow, and red.
Color Meanings
Country Facts
- Population
- 22.4M
1.4% of Africa
- Capital
- Bamako
- Languages
- French
- Continent
- Africa
- Subregion
- West Africa
- Landlocked
- Yes
- ISO 3166-1
- ML
Flag Identification
- Adopted
- March 1, 1961
- Proportions
2:3 (≈1.500)
- Total Colors
- 3
- Primary Layout
- Vertical bands
Influences
Lookalike Comparison
Side-by-side analysis of high-confusion flags, comparing exact color shades, proportions, and historical divergence.
Direct Lookalike Comparison
Quick Tell
Mali starts with green at the hoist; Guinea starts with red at the hoist.
Historical Divergence
Both nations use the Pan-African colors (green, gold, red) inspired by Ethiopia. Mali runs green-yellow-red from left to right, while Guinea runs red-yellow-green.
Flags with resemblance
Both use vertical Pan-African tricolors. Mali reads green-yellow-red from hoist to fly; Guinea is reversed, reading red-yellow-green.
Related flags
Flag Protocol
- Vertical bands must be of equal width
- Must be treated with respect as a symbol of national unity
Practice
Think you know the flags of Africa? Test your recognition in a quick practice round.