Flag of Indonesia: species, meaning, history

If you are long attracted to the exotic country of Indonesia, you should learn more about it. Heraldry will help to study it. The national flag of Indonesia, photos and images of which you probably already saw, has been used since 1945. What does it mean and how was it adopted?

Modern look

The flag of Indonesia looks like a rectangle. The traditional form is complemented by the classical proportion - the width refers to the length as two to three. Exactly in the middle of the panel is divided into two parts. Its upper half is made in bright red color, and the bottom half is white. Often the flag of Indonesia is called a bicolor. It is interesting that the flag of the navy looks somewhat different - it has nine bands of the same colors. Five of them are made in red, and four - in white. The standard also has an unofficial name - "fighting snakes".

Value of colors

In the culture of most countries, the white is associated with freedom, independence, the desire for peace, and red usually serves as an indication of the struggle for sovereignty, the shed blood of patriots. In Indonesia, it's not like that. This combination of colors is heraldic and points to the historical belonging of these lands to the Majapahit dynasty.

History of appearance

For the first time the flag of Indonesia was used already in the fourteenth century. In the time of Majapahit, the country was incredibly developed. A powerful state traded with all neighboring Asian peoples, every city was famous for its influence and beauty. The flag used in those times is considered a national relic. That is why it was decided to take as a basis in 1945, when the state gained independence.

Such a cloth rose above the residence of the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno. Now he is considered a national hero: he did a lot for his homeland and became the founder of the ruling party. He sewed the first flag of Indonesia personally. He was raised over the palace of the first person in honor of Independence Day for many years. After some time, the cloth was replaced with a copy, and the original version was sent to the museum, where it is currently stored.

What is interesting: striped naval standards also repeat the symbols used in the time of the greatest power Majapahit. In addition, the flag of Indonesia strongly resembles the standard of Monaco. The state from Europe even protested, but the ancient origin was considered a sufficient reason to reject it. As a result, two completely different countries use symbolism, which is practically impossible to distinguish.