Flag of Indonesia

What the flag looks like

Two equal horizontal bands, red on top and white below, in a 2:3 proportion.

What it means

Red stands for courage and white for purity; the colors derive from the banner of the medieval Majapahit Empire.

How to remember it

Indonesia is red over white, just like Monaco, but longer (2:3 versus Monaco's squarer 4:5); Poland flips it to white over red.

Fun facts

• The flag is called Sang Saka Merah-Putih, "the sacred red and white", and was first officially raised on independence day, 17 August 1945.
• Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world, with more than 17,000 islands.

Indonesia at a glance

Capital

Jakarta

Region

South-Eastern Asia

Population

283 million

Area

1,904,569 km²

Languages

Indonesian

Currency

Indonesian rupiah (Rp)

Flag adopted

1945

Flags often confused with Indonesia

• Monaco: Indonesia and Monaco are both red over white. Indonesia's flag is longer (2:3) while Monaco's is nearly square (4:5); Poland flips the colors, white over red.
• Poland: Indonesia and Poland both have two bands of red and white. Indonesia has red on top; Poland has white on top.
• Singapore: Indonesia and Singapore are both red over white. Indonesia is plain; Singapore has a white crescent and five stars in the top-left corner.