Indonesia Flag

How to identify it

Two equal horizontal bands, red above white, with nothing else on the field. Its 2:3 shape is longer than Monaco’s 4:5 flag, although cropping can hide that difference.

Design and construction

Proportions

2:3

Adoption and legal status

17 August 1945, flown at the proclamation of independence

Construction

Two equal bands. The constitution names the flag Sang Merah Putih ("the red and white") and the 2:3 proportion is the settled official specification.

Officially documented meaning

The constitution names the colours and the flag; it sets out no symbolism for them.

Commonly repeated interpretation

Not official: Red for the body and white for the spirit is the reading taught in Indonesia, and the pairing is traced to banners of the Majapahit era.

History of the design

Monaco objected to the similarity at the International Hydrographic Congress of 1952. No change was made: Indonesia pointed to red-and-white use long predating 1945, and the two states are distinguished by their different proportions.

Similar flags

Compare the details that separate these designs.

• 
  Monaco

  Same colours in the same order; Monaco is squarer at 4:5, Indonesia longer at 2:3.

• 
  Poland

  Poland reverses the band order, with white above red.

Comparison guides

• Indonesia vs Monaco vs Poland: red and white bicolours

Sources