Flag of Malta

{{short description|none}} {{Infobox Flag| | Name = Republic of Malta | Image = Flag of Malta.svg | Use = 111011 | Symbol = {{FIAV|Normal}}{{FIAV|111011}} | Proportion = 2:3 | Adoption = {{Start date and age|1964|09|21|df=y}} | Design = A vertical bicolour of white and red with the representation of the George Cross edged in red on the upper hoist-side corner of the white band. | Designer = | Alt2 = | Image3 = Civil Ensign of Malta.svg | Use3 = 100100 | Symbol3 = {{FIAV|100100}} | Design3 = A red field with a white border, and a white Maltese cross in the center. }} [[File:Flag of Malta in Marsaxlokk.jpg|thumb|National flag of Malta in Marsaxlokk]] The '''flag of Malta''' ({{lang|mt|il-bandiera ta' Malta}}) is a bicolour, with white in the hoist and red in the fly. A representation of the George Cross, awarded to Malta by George VI in 1942, is carried, edged with red, in the canton of the white stripe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LEĠIŻLAZZJONI MALTA |url=https://legislation.mt/eli/const/eng/pdf |access-date=2022-11-28 |website=legislation.mt |archive-date=2019-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515163529/http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8566&l=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> The flag was first recognized in May of 1952.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Philip |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OkYXAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA57 |title=Monarchy and the End of Empire: The House of Windsor, the British Government, and the Postwar Commonwealth |date=2013 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-921423-5 |language=en}}</ref> It is the only national flag to feature English-language text ("For Gallantry" on the George Cross).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.countryflags.com/tags/text/ | title=Country flags with text }}</ref> It is one of two national flags, alongside Belize, to depict a human.

==Design== ===Construction sheet=== 400px|Maltese flag construction sheet ===Colours=== The red hue in the Maltese flag is officially documented as Pantone 186 C, RGB (207,20,43), Hex #CF142B or Spot Colour - 50% rubine red • 50% warm red.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gonzi |first=Lawrence |title=Graphical Specifications for the National Flag of Malta |publisher=Office of the Prime Minister of Malta |year=2008 |pages=2 |language=mt}}</ref>

The constitution of Malta also states that the white side must be on the hoist pole while the red side must be "in the fly".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mifsud |first=Ivan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4oFqEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT47 |title=Constitutional Law in Malta |date=2022-03-21 |publisher=Kluwer Law International B.V. |isbn=978-94-035-4430-4 |language=en}}</ref>

Tradition states that the colours of the flag were given to Malta by Roger I of Sicily in 1091. Roger's fleet landed in Malta on the completion of the Norman conquest of Sicily.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rudolf |first1=Uwe Jens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwuUOVkaMB0C&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA94 |title=Historical Dictionary of Malta |last2=Berg |first2=Warren G. |date=2010-04-27 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7390-2 |pages=94 |language=en}}</ref> It is said that local Christians offered to fight by Roger's side against the Arab defenders. In order to recognize the locals fighting on his side from the defenders, Roger reportedly tore off part of his chequered red-and-white flag.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Nevins |first1=Debbie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P7fXDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA34 |title=Malta |last2=Sheehan |first2=Sean |last3=Yong |first3=Jui Lin |date=2019-07-15 |publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC |isbn=978-1-5026-4749-8 |language=en}}</ref> However, this story has been debunked as a 19th-century myth,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2021-02-24 |title=Flags, Symbols, & Currencies of Malta |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/malta |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US |archive-date=2025-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251129001707/https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/malta |url-status=live }}</ref> possibly even earlier due to Mdina, Malta's old capital, associating its colours with Roger's in the late Middle Ages.<ref>Gaul, Simon (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fevix8jSqg0C&dq=Andrea+belli+palazzo+parisio&pg=PA104 ''Malta, Gozo and Comino'']{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. New Holland Publishers. p. 25. {{ISBN|1860113656}}.</ref>

The white and red standard was reportedly used by Maltese insurgents during a rebellion against French occupation in September 1798.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hardman |first1=William |title=A history of Malta during the period of the French and British occupations, 1798–1815 |date=1909 |publisher=Longmans, Green & Co |location=London |url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofmaltadu00hard#page/114/mode/2up |page=114}}</ref>

The flag of the Knights of Malta, a white cross on a red field,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guillet (sieur.) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHNUAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PP265 |title=The Gentleman's Dictionary: In Three Parts. Viz. I. The Art of Riding the Great Horse ... II. The Military Art ... III. The Art of Navigation ... |date=1705 |publisher=H. Benwicke ... T. Goodwin, M. Wotton, B. Tooke ... and S. Manship |language=en}}</ref> was a more likely source of the Maltese colours, inspiring the red and white shield used during the British colonial period.<ref name=":2" /> The flag used by the knights was also known to be the oldest still-in-use national flag.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Strickland |first=Adrian |date=1997 |title=The vexillological heritage of the Knights of Saint John in Malta |url=https://fiav.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/17-33-Strickland-VexillologicalHeritageOfTheKnightsOfStJohnInMalta.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the XVII International Congress of Vexillology |archive-date=2025-12-31 |access-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251231123422/https://fiav.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/17-33-Strickland-VexillologicalHeritageOfTheKnightsOfStJohnInMalta.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bamford |first=Paul Walden |date=1964 |title=The Knights of Malta and the King of France, 1665-1700 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/286150 |journal=French Historical Studies |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=429–453 |doi=10.2307/286150 |jstor=286150 |issn=0016-1071 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=2026-01-10 |access-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260110120046/https://www.jstor.org/stable/286150 |url-status=live }}</ref> The blue canton present in the 1943 to 1964 version of the flag was removed after Maltese independence, with the George cross instead given a red fimbriation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Whitney |date=August 11, 2011 |title=flag of Malta {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Malta |access-date=December 2, 2022 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=September 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917234056/https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Malta |url-status=live }}</ref>

==The George Cross== thumb|upright|The George Cross (National War Museum, Malta) The George Cross originally appeared on the flag placed on a blue canton (see List of flags of Malta). The flag was changed on 21 September 1964 with Malta's independence when the blue canton was replaced by a red fimbriation, the intention being that the Cross appear less prominent. King George VI bestowed the George Cross on Malta on April 15, 1942<ref>{{Cite book |last=Office |first=Great Britain Colonial |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wVU1AAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA16 |title=Malta Independence Conference, 1963 |date=1963 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |language=en}}</ref> in recognition of its courageousness during World War II.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Sheehan |first=Sean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRGrRy7S750C&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA34 |title=Malta |date=2000 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-0993-9 |pages=34 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The symbol was later officially added to the Maltese flag on 28 December 1943<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mallia |first=Amy |date=April 15, 2022 |title=The Story Of Malta And The George Cross |work=Lovin Malta |url=https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/history/george-cross-80-years-later/ |access-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-date=February 22, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222181158/https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/history/george-cross-80-years-later/ |url-status=live }}</ref> despite symbolism being in circulation between April 1942 and December 1943 depicting the flag.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bonnici |first=Alfred |date=August 2004 |title=Lord Gort's air mail letter to the U. K. (1942) & the George Cross on Malta stamps & flag |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74484 |journal= |language=en |archive-date=2026-01-28 |access-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260128171052/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74484 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Campaign === Every few years, the debate to remove the George Cross from the national flag comes up. In 1975 an act passed in parliament allowing the George Cross to be removed by a simple parliament majority<ref>{{Cite news |last=Xuereb |first=Charles |date=February 23, 2019 |title=75 years of the George Cross on the flag - do we still need a Colonial war medal? |work=Times of Malta |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/75-years-of-the-george-cross-on-the-flag.702684 |access-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-date=December 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210082626/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/75-years-of-the-george-cross-on-the-flag.702684 |url-status=live }}</ref> with the reasoning being that the cross ties Malta to its turbulent, colonial past.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Xuereb |first=Charles |date=September 1, 2022 |title=Republican Malta is still not colonially free |work=Malta Today |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/118513/republican_malta_is_still_not_colonially_free__charles_xuereb#.Y4ZzmRTMKUk |access-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-date=December 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205154250/https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/118513/republican_malta_is_still_not_colonially_free__charles_xuereb#.Y4ZzmRTMKUk |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2" /> A campaign on social media in 2013 further emphasized this point, coming up with an alternative of replacing it with the Maltese cross.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Campaign wants George Cross replaced by the Maltese Cross on the flag |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/campaign-wants-george-cross-replaced-by-the-maltese-cross-on-the-flag.487479 |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Times of Malta |date=24 September 2013 |language=en-gb |archive-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129213235/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/campaign-wants-george-cross-replaced-by-the-maltese-cross-on-the-flag.487479 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=George Cross controversy |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/George-Cross-controversy.489820 |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Times of Malta |date=11 October 2013 |language=en-gb |archive-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129213245/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/George-Cross-controversy.489820 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The issue of the cross returned to the fore of Maltese politics in 2019 when Maltese historian and noted Napoleon apologist and Francophile Charles Xuereb called for its removal from the flag, as well as the demolition of British colonial monuments across the country, arguing that the addition of the cross was a "colonial gimmick" in an interview with ''The Times of Malta''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grech |first1=Herman |title=Watch: 'Remove the George Cross and relocate colonial monuments' |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/watch-remove-the-george-cross-and-relocate-colonial-monuments.704310 |website=Times of Malta |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref>

Rival historian Joe Pirotta argued against Xuereb's idea in an article also published by ''The Times of Malta'' saying that the addition of the cross was a great honor with Mario Farrugia, chairman of the Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, arguing that removing the cross would be "an insult" to those who fought against Nazism and that "The George Cross has become as famous as the Maltese Cross" as a symbol of Malta.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Micallef |first1=Keith |title=Removing the George Cross from the flag would be ‘absurd’ |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/idea-to-remove-george-cross-from-the-flag-branded-absurd.704735 |website=Times of Malta |access-date=25 August 2025 |archive-date=1 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101101414/https://timesofmalta.com/article/idea-to-remove-george-cross-from-the-flag-branded-absurd.704735 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Civil ensign==

The civil ensign shows a red field, bordered white and charged with a blank Maltese cross. It is also known as the Merchant's flag<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flags, Symbols and their uses |url=https://www.gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/pages/flags-symbols-and-their-use.aspx#:~:text=The%20Constitution%20provides%20that%20the,a%20half%20times%20its%20height. |access-date=2022-11-28 |website=www.gov.mt |archive-date=2015-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629143728/https://www.gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/Pages/Flags-Symbols-and-their-use.aspx#:~:text=The%20Constitution%20provides%20that%20the,a%20half%20times%20its%20height. |url-status=live }}</ref> and/or the maritime flag of Malta.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harwood |first=Stephenson |title=Shipping finance |date=2006 |publisher=Euromoney Books |isbn=978-1-84374-460-3 |edition=3rd |location=London |pages=400 |oclc=826658118}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Inc |first=IBP |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VAm3CwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA49 |title=Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments |date=2013 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-4330-6350-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

==Historical flags of Malta== {{gallery|mode=nolines|height=100 |19th Century Flag of Malta.svg|19th century, Crown Colony of Malta |Flag of Malta (1875–1898).svg|1875–1898, Crown Colony of Malta |Flag of Malta (1898–1923).svg|1898–1923, Crown Colony of Malta<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holden |first=Edward Singleton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lrsTAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Flag+of+Malta%22+-wikipedia |title=Our Country's Flag, and the Flags of Foreign Countries ... |date=1906 |publisher=D. Appleton and Company |language=en}}</ref> |Flag of Malta (1923-1943).svg|1923–1943, Crown Colony of Malta |Flag of Malta (1943-1964).svg|1943–1964, Crown Colony of Malta |Flag of Malta (1943).svg|1943–1964, Unofficial flag of Malta<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160830/local/paper-trail-retraces-a-400-year-old-murder.623511 |title=Paper trail retraces a 400-year-old murder |access-date=2017-01-04 |archive-date=2018-12-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219043954/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160830/local/paper-trail-retraces-a-400-year-old-murder.623511 |url-status=live }}</ref> ||}}

== Timeline == center|frameless|530x530px

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category|National flag of Malta}} *[https://www.gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/Pages/Flags-Symbols-and-their-use.aspx Flags, Symbols and their uses] *{{FOTW|id=mt|title=Malta}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malta}} Category:1964 establishments in Malta Category:Flags introduced in 1964 Category:National symbols of Malta Category:National flags Category:Flags of Malta Category:Red and white flags Category:Flags with crosses Malta Malta Category:Saint George and the Dragon