Flag of the Red Crescent
What the flag looks like
A red crescent in the center of a white field, its horns opening towards the fly.
What it means
Like the Red Cross, the emblem marks medical workers and the wounded as protected in war; it is used by the national societies of most Muslim-majority countries.
How to remember it
The Red Crescent
is a lone red crescent on plain white; Turkey
turns it around, with a white crescent and star on red.
Fun facts
- The crescent was first used by the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War of 1876–1878 and was formally recognized in the 1929 Geneva Convention.
- A third, religiously neutral emblem, the Red Crystal, was added in 2005.
Red Crescent at a glance
- Founded
- 1919 (IFRC)
- Emblem recognized
- 1929
- Headquarters
- Geneva
- Headquarters
- Geneva
- Region
- Founded 1919
- Flag adopted
- 1929
Flags often confused with the Red Crescent
- Turkey: The Red Crescent and Turkey both show a crescent opening towards the fly. The Red Crescent is a red crescent alone on white; Turkey is a white crescent and star on red.
- Red Crystal: The Red Crystal and the Red Crescent are both a single red emblem on white. The Red Crescent is a curved crescent; the Red Crystal is a hollow square stood on its corner like a diamond.