Libya

Libya
Adopted	December 24, 1951 (original) August 3, 2011 (readopted)
Designed by	Omar Faiek Shennib
Proportions	1:2

The flag of Libya is a red, black and green flag, featuring a crescent moon and star in the center.

Symbolism

The red recalls the blood shed for freedom, the crescent moon and the star of Islam, the green is the national color of Libya, and reflects Islam, and the black represents Africa's black people.

History

This was the first national flag for Libya, after gaining independence from Italy. The flag recycles the moon and star from the banner of the Senussi Dynasty.

After a political coup by Muammar Gaddafi, a new flag for Libya was introduced in 1969. The flag uses a tricolor of the Arab Liberation colors (which are like the Pan-Arab colors, just without green).

After Libya would join the Federation of Arab Republics, a variation of the union's coat of arms would be added onto the 1969 flag.

On March 8, 1977, Libya's official name was changed to: Al-Jamahiriya al-Arabiya al-Libiya ash-Sha`biya al-Ishtirakiya (the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), and on November 19, 1977, the flag was changed to an all-green design by Muammar Gaddafi in reaction to Sadat's visit to Israel.

During the civil war of 2011, the NATO-backed rebels used the 1951 flag which was re-established as the national flag on August 3, 2011.

Trivia

• The flag fell out of use in 1969, but was subsequently adopted by the National Transitional Council and anti-Gaddafi forces and effectively reinstated as the country’s national flag in article three of the Libyan Draft Constitutional Charter for the Transitional Stage issued on 3 August 2011.
• Until 2011, Libya was the only nation that had a flag with a solid color.

References

VexiWiki has a design page for:
Libya