Flag of Mongolia

The national flag of Mongolia ( mn, Монгол улсын төрийн далбаа, Mongol ulsiin töriin dalbaa, ) is a vertical triband with a red stripe at each side and a blue stripe in the middle, with the Mongolian Soyombo symbol centering on the leftmost stripe. The blue stripe represents the eternal blue sky, and the red stripes thriving for eternity. The Soyombo symbol is a geometric abstraction that represents fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and a Taijitu symbol representing the duality of yin and yang.

The current flag was adopted on 12 January 1992, with the current official colour standards being set on 8 July 2011. Until 1992, the flag had a communist star above the Soyombo, during the final 47 years of the Mongolian People's Republic. The flag was originally designed by artist Dodiin Choidog ().

It has become common practice among Mongolians in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region to hang the Mongolian flag, although the Chinese government is allegedly against public displays of Mongolian national or cultural symbols due to concerns of separatism.

Historical flags

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, , , 1911–1920 , , Following the 1911 Mongolian declaration of independence during the fall of the Chinese Qing dynasty, the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia adopted a national flag as symbol of this independence. The decision to adopt a national flag was also made to follow the international standard at the time in order to promote the image of a modern independent state. A decree established the colours and dimensions of the flag; a yellow oblong rectangle with religious prayer text and a Soyombo, the letters "E" and "Bam", and lotus flower in the middle, with red silk tails containing the letters "Ohm", "Aa", and "Hum". Larger flags were intended for government use while smaller versions were intended for ordinary people. Surviving flags can be seen with minor individual differences of the complex design.
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, , , 1920–1921 , , In late 1919 Chinese troops began occupying Mongolia. On 1 January 1920 a ceremony was held which revoked Mongolian autonomy and incorporated it into China, raising the five-striped flag of the Republic of China.
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, , , 1921–1924 , , Following the communist Revolution of 1921 Mongolian independence was restored. The country was formally still a monarchy and its flag remained, which had been carried by many of the revolutionary soldiers.
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, , 1924–1940 , , Following the death of the Bogd Khan in 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed. The new republic's first constitution was adopted on 26 November 1924 and described its new flag. The flag's exact shape and design was not completely standardised and only defined as "the flag is red with the state emblem at the center." It can therefore be seen with some variations, such as without any text or using a rectangular shape without the three tails.https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/mn/1/14/Mongol-Manjur_border_conference_1937.jpg Photo from the Manzhouli conference (1935-1936) which shows the flag of Manchukuo and Mongolia
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, , , 1940–1945 , ,
In November 1939 Mongolian leader Khorloogiin Choibalsan discussed the adoption of a new constitution with the leadership of the Soviet Union while visiting there. On 30 July 1940 the second constitution of the Mongol People's Republic was adopted, and with it, the second flag. After having reviewed a draft of the new state emblem, Joseph Stalin advised that "in order to show that there are many animals, the coat of arms should have a man with a horse in the middle and various animal figures around him". This new emblem was present on the new flag, stripped of any remaining religious symbolism, which was described as "consisting of 1:2 sized red cloth with the state emblem in the center and "Mongol People's Republic" written on either side".
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, , , 1945–1992 , , At the Yalta Conference, towards the end of World War II, it was agreed to preserve the status quo of Mongolia's existence. A new flag with national symbolism was then considered necessary to help the success of Soviet and Mongolian attempts at negotiating Chinese recognition of Mongolian Independence. Choibalsan brought up the issue of adopting a new flag at the 43rd meeting of the Presidium of the State Conference on 10 July 1945, where the new flag's design was approved. Choibalsan chose to restore the Soyombo as a national symbol on the flag and described its adoption as a high celebration of Mongolia's independence. The new flag was amended into the constitution in 1949 and was included from the beginning in the constitution adopted in 1960. The flag was used until the adoption of the democratic constitution and current flag in 1992.

Other flags of Mongolia

Administrative divisions

File:Flag ulaanbaatar.svg , Flag of Ulaanbaatar
File:Mn flag arkhangai aimag 2014.png , Flag of Arkhangai Province
File:Mn flag bayankhongor aymag.png , Flag of Bayankhongor Province
File:Mn flag bayan olgiy aymag.svg , Flag of Bayan-Ölgii Province
File:Mn_flag_bulgan aimag.svg , Flag of Bulgan Province
File:Mn_flag_darkhan_uul_aymag.svg , Flag of Darkhan-Uul Province
File:Mn_flag_dornod_aimag_2001.svg , Flag of Dornod Province
File:Mn_flag_dornogovi_aimag_2011.svg , Flag of Dornogovi Province
File:Mn_flag_dundgovi_aimag.svg , Flag of DundGobi Province
File:Mn_flag_govi-altai_aimag_2011.svg , Flag of Govi-Altai Province
File:Mn_flag_govisümber_aimag.svg , Flag of Govisümber Province
File:Khentii_aimag_Flag.svg , Flag of Khentii Province
File:Khovd_stars_flag.svg , Flag of Khovd Province
File:Mn_flag_khövsgöl_aimag_2014.svg , Flag of Khövsgöl Province
File:Orkhon_Aimag_Flag.svg , Flag of Orkhon Province
File:Mn_flag_selenge_aimag_1999.svg , Flag of Selenge Province
File:Mn_flag_sükhbaatar_aimag.svg , Flag of Sükhbaatar Province
File:Tov_aymag_flag.svg , Flag of Töv Province
File:Mn_flag_ömnögovi_aimag_2011.svg , Flag of Ömnögovi Province
File:Uvs_Aimag_Flag.svg , Flag of Uvs Province
File:Mn_flag_Ovurhangai_aymag.svg , Flag of Övörkhangai Province
File:Mn_flag_zavkhan_aimag.svg , Flag of Zavkhan Province

Colours

Official colour standards for the flag were approved in July 2011.

See also

* List of Mongolian flags
* Emblem of Mongolia
* National anthem of Mongolia
* Soyombo symbol
* Taijitu
* Tug (banner)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mongolia, Flag Of
Flag
National flags
Flags introduced in 1911
Flags introduced in 1992
Flags introduced in 2011