Flag of Mozambique

What the flag looks like

Three horizontal stripes of green, black and yellow separated by thin white stripes, with a red triangle at the hoist bearing a yellow star with an open book, a hoe and an AK-47 rifle with bayonet.

What it means

Green represents the land, black Africa, yellow mineral wealth, white peace and red the resistance to colonialism; the book stands for education, the hoe for agriculture and the rifle for defence.

How to remember it

Mozambique is the flag with the AK-47: a rifle crossed with a hoe over an open book in the red hoist triangle.

Fun facts

• It is the only national flag that shows a modern assault rifle.
• Mozambique joined the Commonwealth in 1995 despite never having been a British colony.

Mozambique at a glance

Capital

Maputo

Region

Eastern Africa

Population

35 million

Area

801,590 km²

Languages

Portuguese

Currency

Mozambican metical (MT)

Flag adopted

1983