Ethiopia

National flag of Ethiopia featuring horizontal green, yellow, and red stripes with a centered blue disk bearing a yellow pentagram and rays.

Remix

Colours4

Green#078930 · 30%
Red#DA121A · 30%
Yellow#FCDD09 · 25%
Blue#0F47AF · 14%

Traits

Layout: Centered emblem
Pattern: Tricolor
Symbols: Star, Circle
Emblem: Center
Text: None

Details

Catalogue: #0061
Favorites: 1
Added: Jul 1, 2025
Image source: commons.wikimedia.org

History

Ethiopia’s tricolor dates to the 19th century and was formally adopted in 1897 during the reign of Emperor Menelik II. Earlier official versions carried the Lion of Judah, and later 20th-century regimes used modified or replacement emblems. The current design with the blue disk and yellow star was adopted in 1996. The green, yellow, and red colors are closely associated with Ethiopia’s historic influence on the Pan-African color tradition.

Sources

commons.wikimedia.org

Timeline

1897
to 1914
Original tricolour adopted
Menelik II adopted a red-yellow-green tricolour bearing the first letter of his name on its central stripe.
wikipedia.org · crwflags.com
1897
to 1974
Version used 1897–1974
The imperial green-yellow-red tricolour with the Lion of Judah; its use was interrupted during the occupation.
1914
to 1936
Tricolour order reversed
The colours were reordered to green-yellow-red, the arrangement shown on the imperial flag with the Lion of Judah.
wikipedia.org · crwflags.com
1941
to 1974
Imperial flag restored
After the occupation, the green-yellow-red imperial flag with the Lion of Judah returned.
wikipedia.org · crwflags.com
1974
to 1975
Lion emblem altered
The crown was removed from the Lion of Judah and the cross tip was changed to a spear point.
wikipedia.org
1975
to 1987
Socialist emblem introduced
The Lion of Judah was replaced by the Derg government's national emblem on the tricolour.
wikipedia.org
1987
to 1991
New state emblem introduced
The People's Democratic Republic introduced a tricolour with a new state emblem and a 1:2 proportion.
wikipedia.org · crwflags.com