Mozambique Flag

Mozambique, or the Republic of Mozambique, is a country of over 16 million people, and it is located in Southeastern Africa. Mozambique won its independence from Portugal in the year 1975. During that same year, the first Mozambique flag was adopted.

The first design in the Mozambique flag history was made up of several colors. Each color of the Mozambique flag originated at the upper left hand corner and radiated outwards from there. The first stripe of yellow extended down to the lower left hand corner. The next stripe of black stopped in the middle of the bottom of the Mozambique flag. The third stripe, which was red, reached to the lower right hand corner of the flag. The final stripe was green, and extended across the top of the Mozambique flag to the upper right hand corner. Each stripe was separated from the next by a thin white stripe. Amidst the stripes, mostly within the black and red stripes, was a white gear-shaped field. This white field contained a white open book, red five pointed star, a black hoe, and a black AK-47 assault rifle.

The current version of Mozambique’s flag features three horizontal stripes. These stripes are green, black, and yellow, as seen from top to bottom. Each stripe is separated by a thin white stripe. The left hand side of the Mozambique flag has a red triangle which extends nearly into the center of the flag. Inside this red triangle is an emblem made up of images atop one another. The bottom image is a yellow five pointed star. Next is a white open book, which is topped off by a black design of a crossed hoe and AK-47 rifle.

Each color and design on the Mozambique flag symbolizes something different. The green stripe stands for the riches of the soil, the black stripe represents Africa, the yellow stripe symbolizes mineral riches, and the white stripes signify peace. The red of the triangle shows Mozambique’s fight to become independent. The design inside the red triangle features the star for Socialism and solidarity, a book for education, a hoe for agriculture and the peasant class, and an AK-47 to protect Mozambique’s freedom.

Countries often change their flags-Mozambique is no exception. There is a current movement to remove the AK-47 from the flag, citing its representation of violence. This has not passed through the Mozambique government yet, however.

In order to begin educating your children about Mozambique, you may wish to use a Mozambique flag printout. Several are available online. You may also find a Mozambique flag coloring page if your children wish to color the flag of Mozambique themselves.