Four Indian Ocean Flags and the Stories Behind Them

The Indian Ocean is dotted with islands that sit far from each other and share very little, yet their flags are full of the sea, the land and the way each country sees itself. Here are four of them, and the stories behind how they came to be.

Seychelles: five bands that fan out like a sunrise

The flag of Seychelles has five oblique bands in blue, yellow, red, white and green that start in the lower corner by the pole and spread out to the opposite edge. It dates from 1996 and came after the country opened up to several political parties, when a national competition was held to design new national symbols.

The idea was to leave behind a flag tied to a single party. According to most accounts, it combines the colors of the country's two main political groups of that time: red, white and green on one side, blue and yellow on the other. Blue is read as the sky and the sea around the islands, white as social justice and harmony, and green as the land and nature. The bands that open outward are seen as a country moving toward the future.

Mauritius: four stripes and a day of independence

Mauritius flew its flag for the first time on March 12, 1968, the day the country became independent from the United Kingdom. It has four equal horizontal bands: red, blue, yellow and green.

The meaning that appears in the law is simple: red stands for the struggle for freedom and independence, blue for the Indian Ocean, yellow for the new light of independence and green for agriculture. Historians point out that some of these readings were formalized after the flag was born, but they are the ones the country uses today.

Comoros: four stars for four islands

The flag of the Comoros has four horizontal stripes and, on a green triangle by the pole, a white crescent with four stars. The stripes and the stars point to the same idea: the four islands of the archipelago, Grande Comore, Mohéli, Anjouan and Mayotte. Mayotte is administered by France, but the Comorian flag keeps its star, and that is why four of them still shine.

Green and the crescent are read as Islam, the religion of the vast majority of the population. The current design dates from the early 2000s, after a new constitution.

Maldives: a red field with a green rectangle

The Maldives flag has a red field with a green rectangle in the middle and a white crescent inside it. It was adopted on July 25, 1965, the day the islands gained independence from Britain.

It is one of the oldest flags in this part of the world in terms of its roots: the first Maldivian flag was just a plain red cloth. At some point a black and white striped band was added next to the pole, and it was later removed. Red is read as the blood of the heroes who defended the country, green as peace and prosperity, and the white crescent as Islam.

An island flag is a small map and a small history at once: a sea, an archipelago, a day of independence. If you come from one of these places, have family there, or fell in love with one on a trip, a flag is a way to carry it with you.

We print the flags and cultural symbols of countries and territories around the world, including many small islands. Read our earlier articles, Four Pacific Flags and the Stories Behind Them and Six Small Island Flags and the Stories Behind Them, see the full list on our page of flag T-shirts for small countries and territories, or read the story behind any other flag on our free Flag Stories page.