Flag of Malta

What the flag of Malta looks like

The flag of Malta is divided into two equal vertical halves. White is at the hoist (the side nearest the pole) and red is at the fly. The proportions are 2:3.

In the top left corner of the white half is a representation of the George Cross, a British decoration shaped like a cross with arms that widen at the ends. It is drawn in gray, the color of silver, and is outlined with a thin red border so that it stands out against the white. The red border was part of the original design in 1964. The cross is not the eight-pointed cross usually called the Maltese cross, which is a different symbol that is used on Maltese coins, buses and badges but not on the national flag.

You can also see the flag as the Malta flag emoji 🇲🇹.

Malta flag meaning and symbolism

The two colors are tied to a story from the Middle Ages. According to tradition, Count Roger I of Sicily landed in Malta in 1091 to drive out the Arab rulers. He is said to have torn a piece from his own red and white banner and given it to the Maltese as thanks for their help. Historians treat this as a legend, but it explains why the colors are so closely linked to the island, and red and white were also the colors of the Norman and Aragonese rulers who held Malta for centuries. Red is often read as the courage and blood of the Maltese people, and white as purity and faith.

The George Cross is the main symbol on the flag. King George VI awarded it to the island of Malta in April 1942 "to bear witness to a heroic people". Malta was bombed heavily by German and Italian aircraft between 1940 and 1942 while it was under siege, and the people survived on very limited supplies. It is a rare case of a decoration given to a whole country, and the Maltese regard it as a source of national pride.

History of the Malta flag

For much of its history, Malta was ruled from abroad, so its flags changed with its rulers. After the Order of St John (the Knights of Malta) took over the islands in 1530, they flew their own banners: a white eight-pointed cross on a red field. The French held Malta briefly from 1798 to 1800 before a Maltese uprising, with British help, forced them out. After that Malta became a British colony and used the British Blue Ensign with a badge of Malta.

The design of the badge changed over time, and in 1943 it was altered to include the George Cross. Malta became independent from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1964. On that day the current flag, white and red with the George Cross, was raised for the first time. It is flown on Independence Day and on Republic Day, 13 December, which marks the proclamation of the republic in 1974.

The design has not changed since 1964, including when Malta joined the European Union in 2004.