Flag of Angola
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| Use | National flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3[1] |
| Adopted | 11 November 1975[2] |
| Design | A horizontal bicolor of red and black with the Machete and Gear Emblem in the center. |
The national flag of Angola came into use at independence on November 11, 1975. It is split horizontally into an upper red half and a lower black half with an Emblem itself resting at the center. It features a yellow half gear wheel crossed by a machete and crowned with a star.
History
The Angolan flag is based on the flag of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which fought Portuguese colonial rule and emerged as the ruling party of Angola following the Angolan Civil War.[1] The MPLA flag is similar to the flag of Angola, but features a star in place of the central emblem.[1]
Description
The Angolan flag is a horizontal bicolor of red and black with a yellow emblem in the center. The emblem consists of a five pointed-star within a half gear wheel crossed by a machete (resembling the hammer and sickle used in Soviet iconography).[2] As outlined in the Constitution of Angola, the red half of the flag signifies bloodshed during Angola's independence struggle, and the black half symbolizes Africa.[1] In the central emblem, the gear represents industrial workers, the machete represents peasantry and the star symbolizes socialism.[1] The flag is most recently described and explained in article 162 of the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Angola (Constitution) of August 25, 1992.
2003 proposal
In 2003, a new, more "optimistic" flag was proposed by the Parliament's Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly (Angolan Parliament), but was not adopted. The sun design in the middle is meant to be reminiscent of cave paintings found in Tchitundo-Hulu cave. The flag maintained the same flag proportions of 2:3.[3]
Gallery
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Flag proposal for the Portuguese overseas province of Angola (1967) – never used.
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Flag of the former movement and now governing party MPLA
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Flag of UNITA, a rebel movement that fought against the MPLA government from 1975 to 2002
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Proposed Flag of Angola (1996)
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Proposed Flag of Angola (2003)
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Presidential Standard of Angola
Similar flags
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Flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (in use: 1942-1956)
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Flag of the Soviet Union (in use: 1923-1991)
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Flag of Moldavian SSR (in use: 1952-1990) - UNITA
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Flag of Transnistria (in use: since 2000) - UNITA
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Flags of the world (2nd ed.). Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books. 2012 [2003]. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-77085-157-3.
- 1 2 Flags: The visual guide to more than 300 flags from around the world. New York City: Dorling Kindersley. 1998. p. 96. ISBN 0-7894-4224-8.
- ↑ Angola - proposal for a new flag