National Flag | Somaliland Government Brand

Overview

The National Flag is one of the highest symbols of the sovereignty of the Republic of Somaliland. Its form and composition are defined in the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland, and it must be reproduced consistently in every context — hand-drawn, printed, or digital.

This page sets out the official construction of the Flag through the annotated guideline artwork below — the constitutional description, the 2:3 proportions, the three equal bands, the placement of the star and the Shahada, the official colour values, the thirteen approved sizes, and the Flag's physical applications — so that every reproduction remains correct and consistent.

The Flag

Article 7(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland states that the Flag consists of three equal horizontal bands, coloured green, white, and red.

The upper band is green and bears the Shahada — Laa ilaaha illa Allah, Muhammadun Rasul Allah (“There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”) — rendered in white Arabic calligraphy at its centre. The middle band is white and bears a black five-pointed star, with equal points, at its centre. The lower band is red. The Flag must always be reproduced in its exact official form, without alteration.

The National Flag of the Republic of Somaliland at the constitutional 2:3 proportion: three equal horizontal bands of green, white and red, the white Shahada inscription centred on the green band and a black five-pointed star centred on the white band, with the full Article 7(1) constitutional description quoted beneath in Somali and English.

The National Flag — official reference artwork

The Flag at its constitutional 2:3 proportion, with Article 7(1) quoted in full beneath it. The Shahada and the five-pointed star are reproduced from the official artwork and must never be redrawn, retraced or altered.

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Proportions & Construction

The Flag is rectangular, with right angles at each corner. Its longer side is the length; its shorter side is the width. The width is equal to two-thirds of the length — a ratio of 2:3.

Worked example

For a Flag with a length of 150 cm, the width must be 100 cm (150 × ⅔ = 100 cm).

This 2:3 ratio must never be altered, regardless of the Flag's overall size.

Every reproduction of the Flag — by hand, in print, or by digital means — must be constructed to this exact ratio.

National Flag proportion diagram: the flag drawn with dimension lines marking the length as three parts and the width as two parts, stating the 2:3 ratio, the worked example of a 150 cm length requiring a 100 cm width, and a source note explaining why 2:3 is the operative standard.

Proportions — 2:3

The width of the Flag is two thirds of its length. For a length of 150 cm the width must be 100 cm, as the worked example in the diagram shows. This ratio is fixed at every size, from a desk flag to the largest flagpole flag.

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National Flag construction diagram of the three equal bands: each horizontal band measured at one third of the flag's height, labelled Doog green bearing the Shahada, Caddaan white bearing the star, and Casaan red, with numbered callouts to each band.

Construction — three equal bands

The Flag is divided into three horizontal bands of exactly equal depth — green, white, then red — each occupying one third of the Flag's height and running its full length. Equal division is constitutional: unequal bands are non-compliant at any size.

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National Flag element placement diagram: dashed guides showing the Shahada centred on the vertical axis and on the depth of the green band, and the five-pointed star centred on the vertical axis and on the depth of the white band, with a warning panel stating the official artwork must not be redrawn or altered.

Element placement — the star and the Shahada

Both national symbols sit on the Flag's vertical centre line: the Shahada centred on the depth of the green band, and the five-pointed star centred on the depth of the white band. They are reproduced from the official artwork and must not be redrawn, retraced, restyled, rotated or resized independently of the Flag.

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Official Colours

Two colour references are used for the Flag. HEX values are the authoritative specification, used for on-screen and digital reproduction — computers, mobile devices, and websites. The Nearest Pantone references guide print reproduction, where colour is matched directly rather than viewed on a display. The Flag's green is #00843D, aligned with the Government Green of the National Brand Identity.

These four colours — and no others — may be used to reproduce the Flag.

Green

HEX #00843D

Nearest Pantone 348 C

White

HEX #FFFFFF

Nearest Pantone —

Red

HEX #DA291C

Nearest Pantone 485 C

Black

HEX #000000

Nearest Pantone Process Black

Official colours of the National Flag shown as four swatches with their values: Doog green, Caddaan white #FFFFFF, Casaan red #DA291C and Madow black #000000, with an explanation that HEX values govern screen reproduction and Pantone references guide print.

Official colours — reference sheet

The four colours of the Flag — Doog (green), Caddaan (white), Casaan (red) and Madow (black) — with the reproduction values that apply to each. Only these four colours may be used to reproduce the Flag.

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Flag Sizes by Application

The size of the Flag depends on the occasion and setting in which it is used. Within a single occasion or setting, only one Flag size may be used — for example, every flag mounted on an official vehicle for the same occasion must be identical in size.

The table below sets out the approved sizes of the Flag by category of use.

Desk Flags

10 × 15 cm

Office desks; between two chairs in meetings

12 × 18 cm

Small meeting-room tables; reception desks

15 × 22.5 cm

Large tables at official meetings

Vehicle Flags

20 × 30 cm

Official and dignitary vehicles; motorcades

25 × 37.5 cm

Official and dignitary vehicles; motorcades (larger option)

Indoor Standing Flags

100 × 150 cm

Office and building lobbies; meeting rooms

120 × 180 cm

Large event halls; senior leadership offices

Outdoor Flags

150 × 225 cm

Government centres, buildings, agencies and embassies (medium-height poles)

200 × 300 cm

Large centres; taller poles

300 × 450 cm

Nationally important sites; very tall poles

Ceremonial & Hand-Carried Flags

90 × 135 cm

Guard duty, ceremonies, and public gatherings

100 × 150 cm

Celebrations, parades, and honour guard details

State Funerals

180 × 270 cm

Draped over the casket at state funerals

National Flag size system table listing all thirteen approved flag sizes in six categories — desk, vehicle, indoor standing, outdoor flagpole, hand-held and state funeral — each with its width by length in centimetres and where it is used, all at the 2:3 proportion, with the rule that two flag sizes must never be mixed at one occasion.

The approved size system

All thirteen approved flag sizes, grouped into six categories of use. Every size holds the 2:3 proportion, and two different flag sizes must never be used together at the same occasion.

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Physical Applications

The Flag exists as a physical object — on desks, on vehicles, on poles, and in ceremony. The illustrations below show the approved sizes in their real settings, each drawn in mathematical proportion to the objects around it. They communicate physical scale; they add no rules beyond the approved size system above.

The application examples are presented at independent visual scales for clarity. Within each individual illustration, the Flag is proportioned to its stated physical dimensions relative to the reference object shown.

Outdoor flagpole illustration showing the three approved outdoor flag sizes at true relative scale — 150 by 225 cm on a medium pole, 200 by 300 cm on a tall pole and 300 by 450 cm on a very tall pole — with a note that pole heights are indicative because the specification names no numeric pole height.

Outdoor flagpole sizes

The three approved outdoor sizes — 150 × 225 cm, 200 × 300 cm and 300 × 450 cm — shown at true relative scale on medium, tall and very tall poles. The specification describes pole height by category only, so the poles are indicative; the scale between the three flags is exact.

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Indoor and ceremonial flag illustrations: a floor-standing indoor flag with finial and weighted base beside a person for scale, a hand-carried ceremonial flag on a staff, and a state funeral plan view showing the 180 by 270 cm flag draped over a coffin, each drawn proportionally to its stated dimensions.

Indoor, ceremonial and state funeral

The indoor standing flag with finial and weighted base, the hand-carried ceremonial flag, and the state funeral flag of 180 × 270 cm draped over the casket. Each illustration is drawn in proportion to its stated dimensions; the draping arrangement shown is illustrative, not a prescribed protocol.

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Scale in use

All thirteen approved sizes nested at true relative scale, from the 10 × 15 cm desk flag to the 300 × 450 cm flagpole flag, alongside the six categories of use. The desk, vehicle, hand-held and state funeral examples are each proportioned mathematically to the reference object beside them.

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Usage & Compliance

The Flag of the Republic of Somaliland is used, and may only be used, in the manner set out in the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland. Further detail is provided in law and regulation, which this guideline reflects.

Every government institution, independent institution, private organisation, and individual using the Flag of the Republic of Somaliland must follow the official shape, proportions, and colour values set out in this guideline.

The National Flag of the Republic of Somaliland

Overview

The Flag

Proportions & Construction

Worked example

Official Colours

Flag Sizes by Application

Physical Applications

Usage & Compliance