Yemen Flag

The current Yemen flag is a tale of two nations: North and South. Each had their own flag of Yemen. Originally, however, the two countries had no flag to call their own. The Ottoman Empire, ruled by the Turks, controlled Northern Yemen from the mid-16th century until 1918; the British ruled Southern Yemen from around 1837 until 1967.

The flag of Yemen in the north flew over the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1990. It is a simple tricolor structure consisting of three horizontal stripes. The chosen colors of red above white above black are typical Pan-Arabic colors. Other Middle East countries, including South Yemen and the United Arab Emirate, display these colors on their own flags. The single green five-pointed star on the middle stripe of the flag of the Yemen Arab Republic or Northern Yemen is similar to the three green stars on the Iraqui flag and the two found on Syria’s flag.

The Yemen flag of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, Southern Yemen, dates from around 1967. This follows the withdrawal of the British troops. Until then, Southern Yemen, built up around the port of Aden, had been a British Protectorate. This Crown colony remained separate from North Yemen. It had its own flag.

flag of South Yemen, like the flag of North Yemen displays Pan-Arabic colors. A red stripe sits above a White stripe sitting over the bottom black stripe. The South Yemen flag, also has a five-pointed star. Instead of green, however, the south Yemen star is red. In a distinct variation from North Yemen’s flag, the star sits within a light blue triangle jutting out from the hoist.

North and South Yemen united in 1990. It was a rough transition with a bloody Civil War in 1994. The two Yemen flags became one. Yemen’s flag is remodeled version or combination of the two nations’ separate flags. The tri-colored Pan-Arabic colors remain. Yemen’s flag features equal stripes in the order from top to bottom of red, white and black. Black stands for the colonial past of the country. White symbolizes its bright future and red is for the blood the Yemen people have shed over the centuries. The stars of north Yemen and the Triangle and star in the hoist are not included in the new design.

The new flag flies on land for civil, state and war purposes. It flies at sea for civil, and state reasons as well as for a naval ensign.