The national flag

National flag

A national flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the national flag...

 of Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

(Berber: Acenyal n Dzayer, Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

: علم الجزائر) consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged

Charge (heraldry)

In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...

 in the center with a red star and crescent

Star and crescent

A star and crescent featuring in some combination form the basis of symbols widely found across the ancient world, with examples attested from the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia....

. The white color represents peace; the green, the beauty of nature; the red, the blood of those killed fighting for independence in the Algerian War (1954 to 1962) and the star and crescent represent Islam.

The flag was adopted on July 3, 1962. A similar version was used by the Algerian government in exile from 1958 to 1962.

The flag's design is derived from the standard of Emir Abdel Kadir in the 19th century which consisted of two equal vertical bands, green and white, as well as being inspired from the flag of the Algerian Regency from the 16th to the 19th century, which consisted of a white crescent and star on a red background (the same as the modern flag of Turkey

Flag of Turkey

The flag of Turkey is a red flag with a white crescent moon and a star in its centre. The flag is called Ayyıldız or Albayrak . The Turkish flag is referred to as Alsancak in the Turkish National Anthem....

; the Algerian Regency was an autonomous vassal of the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

). However, for the most part its history is unclear. It is also believed to be based on a flag created in 1928 by Messali Hadj

Messali Hadj

Ahmed Ben Messali Hadj was an Algerian nationalist politician dedicated to the independence of his homeland from France...

, a nationalist leader. White, green and red, along with the star and crescent have been used historically in Islamic countries.

Algerian ships fly the national flag as their ensign, except for ships of the Algerian National Navy

Algerian National Navy

The Algerian National Navy is the naval branch of the Military of Algeria. The navy operates from 3 bases at Algiers, Annaba and Mers-el-Kébir on the Mediterranean coast....

, which use the national flag charged with two red crossed anchors in the canton

Flag terminology

Flag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...

 as the naval ensign.

The Western blazon

Blazon

In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

 is per pale Vert and Argent; a crescent and star Gules.

Unlike many African flags, the features of the flag are set down precisely, being described as:

External links