Flag of the United Arab Emirates

What the flag of the United Arab Emirates looks like

The flag of the United Arab Emirates has a vertical red band on the hoist side, taking up about a quarter of the flag's width. To the right of it are three horizontal stripes of equal height: green on top, white in the middle and black at the bottom. The width-to-height ratio is 1:2.

There is no emblem or text on the flag. The simple design uses four colors, which are red, green, white and black, and these are known as the Pan-Arab colors. Because the stripes are the same size, the three-striped part looks the same as many other horizontal tricolors, and the red band is what makes the UAE flag distinct.

You can also find the flag as a small icon in the UAE flag emoji, and in high resolution on the download page.

UAE flag meaning and colors

The four colors come from the Pan-Arab flags used after the Arab Revolt of 1916 against the Ottoman Empire. They are tied to a line of verse by the medieval Arab poet Safi al-Din al-Hilli: "White are our deeds, black our battles, green our fields, and red our swords." Within the UAE, the colors are given these meanings:

• Red stands for energy and the sacrifices made by the people for their nation.
• Green stands for growth and prosperity.
• White stands for peace and purity.
• Black stands for dignity.

The main theme of the four colors is the sovereignty and unity of the Arab states. Several other Arab flags, such as those of Kuwait, Jordan, Sudan and Palestine, use the same four colors in other layouts.

History of the UAE flag

Before 1971 the area was known as the Trucial States, a group of sheikhdoms under British protection in the Persian Gulf. Each used its own flag, and many of these were plain red or red and white. When Britain announced that it would withdraw, six of the emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah) agreed to form a federation, and Ras Al Khaimah joined in early 1972.

A nationwide competition was held to design the new national flag. The winning entry came from Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, who was 19 years old at the time. His design was adopted on 2 December 1971, the day the federation was founded under Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, its first president. The flag has not changed since then. In 2013 the country introduced a national Flag Day, held each year on 3 November, the anniversary of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed becoming president in 2004. On this day flags are raised at the same time across the country.

UAE flag and the flags of Dubai and the emirates

Many people ask whether Dubai and the UAE flag are the same. They are not. The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Dubai is a city and one of those emirates, not a separate country. Each emirate has its own flag, and the national flag flies throughout the federation, including in Dubai and the capital, Abu Dhabi.

The UAE flag is often mistaken for the flag of Palestine, which also has black, white and green horizontal stripes with a red triangle at the hoist. In the UAE flag the red part is a straight vertical band instead of a triangle, and the stripes are in a different order, with green at the top. Browse more flags of Asia.