Flag of Mauritania

The flag of Mauritania is a green field containing a gold star and crescent with a red stripe at the top and bottom of the field. The original flag was introduced under the instructions of President Moktar Ould Daddah. Jaume Ollé and Nozomi Kariyasu, 17 June 1998. Accessed 27 August 2009. and the constitution of 22 March 1959 and was adopted on 1 April 1959. Accessed 27 August 2009.
On 5 August 2017, a referendum was held by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to change the national flag, abolish the senate, and other constitutional amendments. The referendum was successful, and the changes to the flag, in the form of the addition of the two red stripes, which represent "the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory", were adopted on 15 August 2017.
==Design==
thumb|Waving flag of Mauritania (1959–2017)
Green, gold and red are considered Pan-African colours. Accessed 27 August 2009. Green is also used to symbolise Islam, and the gold is for the sands of the Sahara desert. The red stripes, which were added to the flag in 2017, represent "the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory".Mauritania vows referendum to abolish Senate, change flag News 24, 23 March 2017 The crescent and star are symbols of Islam, which is Mauritania's state religion. Some writers have also speculated that green symbolises a bright future and growth. There is no official specification or construction sheet for the exact relative measurements of the star and crescent, although the flag's measurements are 2:3.
==Use==
The design acts as the national flag of Mauritania and is also used in circular form as an aircraft roundel.
==Legal basis==
The current constitution of 12 July 1991 specifies that:
Unlike the seal, the exact flag is specified, not merely the right for a law to specify it at some later date. However, the flag has its official basis in the earlier constitution of 22 March 1959; no changes were made when the country declared its independence in 1960. Available at Google Books, here (accessed 27 August 2009).
==2017 modification==
In 2017, a red band at the top and bottom were added to symbolise "the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory",Mauritania vows referendum to abolish Senate, change flag News 24, 23 March 2017 in a referendum on 5 August 2017, scheduled by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz which contained among other constitutional amendments a modification of the national flag and anthem. First scheduled as part of a single vote, these changes proved controversial enough for them to be made into a separate vote the same day as the vote on institutions.
==See also==
* Seal of Mauritania
==References==
==External links==
*
Category:National symbols of Mauritania
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