Friday, April 16, 2010

Flag Of Kuwait

The flag of Kuwait was adopted on September 7, 1961 and officially hoisted November 24, 1961. Before 1961, the flag of Kuwait, like those of other Gulf states, was red and white. The present flag is in the Pan-Arab colours ( for more details on Pan-Arab colours, check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Arab_colors); but each colour is significant in its own right.

Kuwaiti flags came in all shapes and sizes from the establishment of Kuwait until 1961, when on gaining full independence the government decided to replace the old flag with a new design. This was promulgated by a law issued on 7/9/1961 (27 Rabi 1 1381 AH). The first article stipulated that Kuwait's national flag should consist of a horizontal rectangle which is twice as long as it is wide. This is divided into three equal horizontal stripes, the top one being green, the middle white and the bottom red, with the side next to the flag pole forming the base of a black trapezoid protruding into the stripes.

The colours' meaning came from a poem by Safie Al-Deen Al-Hali:

White is peace.
Black is our oil.
Green are our lands.
Red is our blood.

Rules of hanging and flying the flag:

Horizontally: The green stripe should be on top.
Vertically: The green stripe should be on the right side of the flag.

In 2005, it became the design of the world's largest kite at a size of 1019 square metres. It was made in New Zealand by Peter Lynn, launched to the public for the first time in 2004 in the United Kingdom, officially launched in Kuwait in 2005, and has not been surpassed since.

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