The National Flag of the Republic of Maldives

A flag is most commonly used as an identification of a Country/Nation. The first flags were used to assist military coordination on battlefields, and flags have since evolved into a general tool for elementary signaling and identification, especially in environments where communication is similarly challenging. National flags are strong nationalistic symbols with varied wide-ranging interpretations, often including strong military associations due to their original and ongoing military uses. Flags are also used in messaging, advertising, or for other decorative purposes. 



The national flag of the republic of Maldives is rectangular in form, its width being two-third of its length. The flag comprises of a green rectangle with a crescent in the centre and surrounded by a red border.The ‘Red Boarder’ symbolizes the blood of the national heroes who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the nation; the ‘Green Rectangle’ indicates life, progress; and prosperity, and the ‘White Crescent’ is stand for the Islamic faith of the nation. 


The earliest flag of the Maldives consisted of a plain red field. Later, a black and white striped hoist was added to the flag. This version of the flag was used until early in the 20th century, and later, a crescent was added to the flag. At the same time, a distinct state flag was made, which had the crescent on a green rectangle. These changes were made some time between 1926 and 1932, during Abdul Majeed's term as Prime Minister. 

In 1953, the Maldives became a republic, resulting in another flag change. The national flag was dropped and the crescent on the state flag was reversed, so that it faced the hoist. The Sultanate was restored in 1954, but the flag was not changed back. Instead, Muhammad Fareed Didi created a new flag specifically for the Sultan, with a five-pointed star next to the crescent. This flag is still used today as the Presidential Standard.

When the Maldives gained independence in 1965, the black and white hoist was removed, giving the flag its modern form.

The colour codes for the national flag are; RED - British Admiralty Colour Code No. T1144 for Nylon worsted bunting and No. T818A for other bunting; WHITE - British Admiralty Colour Code No. T1145 for Nylon worsted bunting and No. T819 for other bunting; GREEN - British Admiralty Colour Code No. T1143 for Nylon worsted bunting and No. T817 for other bunting.

The width of the red border is one-fourth of the width of the flag. The width of the green rectangle is half of the width of the flag while its length is two-thirds of the length of the flag. The radii of both curvatures of the crescent are one third of the width of the green rectangle. They are drawn from two points on the centre line across the length of the green rectangle, the first point being 9/16th and the second 5/8th of the length, measured from the side nearer to the staff. When the flag is hoisted the curvature of crescent should face outward.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org