The Secret History Behind Mozambique's Flag
Mozambique's flag has a rifle, a hoe and an open book, and each one has a meaning.
After independence in 1975, Mozambique adopted a flag of diagonal green, red, black and yellow stripes with a cogwheel emblem. The current design was adopted on May 1, 1983: a horizontal tricolor of green, black and gold with white borders and a red triangle at the hoist.
In the triangle is a gold star above an open book, with a bayonet-equipped AK-47 crossed by a hoe. The rifle stands for armed resistance and defense, the hoe for agriculture and the peasantry, and the book for education. Green is the land, black the African continent, gold the country's wealth, and the white borders peace.
In 2005 a competition was held to redesign the flag, with 119 entries, but the flag stayed the same.
The date printed on every Mozambique design in our catalog, June 25, 1975, is Independence Day.
A flag that reads like a short story in four symbols.
Looking for a gift with a story? See our heritage gift guide, or read the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Stories page.