The

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

( ar, علم الجزائر; ber, ⴰⵏⴰⵢ ⴰⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔⵉ, Anay azzayri) consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged in the center with a red star and crescent, a symbol of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

as the nation's prominent faith. The flag was adopted on 3 July 1962. A similar version was used by the

Algerian government Politics of Algeria takes place in a framework of a constitutional semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Algeria is head of state while the Prime Minister of Algeria is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by th ...

in exile from 1958 to 1962. The Western

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

is ''per pale vert and argent; a crescent and star gules''.

History

Laureys a Castro - A Sea Fight with Barbary Corsairs

The

Barbary pirates The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

of Ottoman Algeria between the 15th and 17th century widely used flags that were emblazoned with one or more

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

s. These could however vary greatly in color, with dark red, black, green and white being in use. Besides these, Algerian pirates also used various flags in plain color, such as plain black ones signalling death. Less often, Algerian flags of this time also carried other motifs, such as suns, stars and crossed swords. It is also known that city of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

used an orange flag with a white horizontal sword on it by the early 19th century. While there is some dispute over who exactly designed the green and white with red star and crescent symbol,

Émilie Busquant Émilie Busquant, born in Neuves-Maisons March 3, 1901 and died in Algiers October 1953, was a French feminist, anarcho-syndicalist and anti-colonial activist who was married to the Algerian nationalist leader Messali Hadj. One of nine children, ...

, wife of the Algerian nationalist leader

Messali Hadj Ahmed Ben Messali Hadj (May 16, 1898 - June 3, 1974), commonly known as Messali Hadj, ar, مصالي الحاج, was an Algerian nationalist politician dedicated to the independence of his homeland from French colonial rule. He is often called ...

, is generally credited as having sewed the first version of the flag in 1934. Historian

Benjamin Stora Benjamin Stora (born 2 December 1950) is a French historian, expert on North Africa, who is widely considered one of the world's leading authorities on Algerian history. He was born in a Jewish family that left the country following its War of ...

explains that it was during a meeting of the

Étoile Nord-Africaine The Étoile Nord-Africaine or ENA (French for ''North African Star'') was an early Algerian nationalist organization founded in 1926. It was dissolved first in 1929, then reorganised in 1933 but was later finally dissolved in 1937. It can be con ...

, in 1934, that the colors of the flag were chosen, after which Émilie Busquant was tasked with sewing it. However, René Gallissot and Anissa Bouayed affirm that this is not the first appearance of the Algerian flag, as Algerian trade union demonstrators displayed this same flag (green and white with a red star and crescent) during the

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...

parades in 1919 and 1920, in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Description

Algerian ships fly it as their ensign, except for ships of the

Algerian National Navy , image = Algerian Naval badge.svg , image_size = 220px , caption = Algerian Naval badge , dates = 1516–18271963–present , country ...

, which use one charged with two white crossed anchors in the canton as the

naval ensign A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign. It can also be known as a war ensign. A large ve ...

. Formerly, the two crossed anchors in the canton were red. According to algeria-un.org, cited in 1999, the features of the flag are set down precisely, being described as:

Construction Sheet

Historical flags

File:Flag of the kingdom of Tlemcen during 14th century.svg, Flag of the

Kingdom of Tlemcen The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen ( ar, الزيانيون) was a Berber kingdom in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached Sijil ...

(14th century) File:Flag of the kingdom of Tlemcen 1388-1488.svg, Flag of the

(1388-1488) File:Flag of the kingdom of tlemcen.svg, Flag of the

(1488–1556) File:Sultanat de touggourt.jpg, Flag of the

Sultanate of Tuggurt The Sultanate of Tuggurt was a state that extended over Tuggurt, the oases of the neighbouring region and the Oued Righ valley between the fifteenth century and 1881. It was governed by sultans of the Banu Djellab dynasty. Background The cit ...

File:Type d'étendard de gierre (XVIII siecle).svg, Flag of the

Regency of Algiers The Regency of Algiers ( ar, دولة الجزائر, translit=Dawlat al-Jaza'ir) was a state in North Africa lasting from 1516 to 1830, until it was conquered by the French. Situated between the regency of Tunis in the east, the Sultanate o ...

(18th century) File:Flag of the Regency of Algiers.svg, Flag of the Algiers Regency (circa 1800) File:Flag of Ottoman Algiers.svg, Flag of the

File:Drapeau Ahmed Bey de Constantine.svg, Flag of Beylik of Constantine (early 16th Century–1837) File:Drapeau_des_seigneurs_de_la_Medjana.png,

Kingdom of Beni Abbas The Kingdom of the Ait Abbas or Sultanate of the Beni Abbas ( ber, translit=tagelda n At Ɛebbas, ⵜⴰⴳⴻⵍⴷⴰ ⵏ ⴰⵜ ⵄⴻⴱⴱⴰⵙ; ar, سلطنة بني عباس ''salṭanat Beni Ɛabbas'') was a Kabyle, Berber state of Nor ...

File:Flag of the Emirate of Mascara.svg, Flag of the

Emirate of Abdelkader The Emirate of Mascara, Emirate of Abd al-Qadir, or the Resistance of Mascara, was founded by Abd al-Qadir al-Jazairi with the allegiance of the people of Algeria to resist the French conquest of Algeria with its first capital at Mascara the ...

(1832–1848) File:Algerian revolt flag 1854.png, Personal flag of

Lalla Fatma N'Soumer Lalla Fatma N'Soumer (c.1830 – c. 1863) ( kab, Lalla Faḍma n Sumer; ar, لالة فاطمة نسومر) was an Algerian anti-colonial leader during 1849–1857 of the French conquest of Algeria and subsequent Pacification of Algeria. ...

File:French Algeria Naval Ensign 1848-1910.svg, Naval ensign of

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

(1848–1910) File:Flag of Governor General Pélissier.svg, Flag of Governor-General Pélissier File:Flag of Kel Ahaggar.svg,

Kel Ahaggar Kel Ahaggar ( Berber: ⴾⵍ ⵂⴴⵔ) (trans: "People of Ahaggar") is a Tuareg confederation inhabiting the Hoggar Mountains (Ahaggar mountains) in Algeria. The confederation is believed to have been founded by the Tuareg matriarch Tin Hinan, w ...

(–1977) File:Flag of the Democratic Union of the Algerian Manifesto (UDMA).svg, Flag of Algerian nationalists in 1940 File:Flag of the Sétif revolt (1945).svg, Flag of the Sétif revolt (1945) File:Variant flag of the GPRA (1958-1962).svg, Variant of the flag of the

Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic The Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic ( ar, الحكومة المؤقتة للجمهورية الجزائرية, ; French: ''Gouvernement provisoire de la République algérienne'') was the government-in-exile of the Algerian Natio ...

(1958–1962) File:Variant flag of the GPRA (1962).svg, Variant of the flag of the

(1958–1962)

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Flag of Algeria at flagscorner.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag of Algeria National symbols of Algeria

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

1962 establishments in Algeria

History

Description

Construction Sheet

Historical flags

See also

References

Bibliography

External links