History of the Madagascar Flag - Paulina Chamely BP3

A flag says a lot about a Countries history and culture and so I thought that it would be interesting to learn a bit about what their flag looks like, its origin and significance as well as the meaning behind the different colors chosen for the flag. Here it is:

The flag of Madagascar was adopted on 14 October 1958, two years before the independence of that nation, as Madagascar prepared for a referendum of its status in the French Community.

Flag of Madagascar Description : 
The flag of Madagascar is divided horizontally, with a red stripe on top and green below. Along the hoist side is a white vertical stripe, the same width as the red and green stripes.
The red on the flag traditionally represents the sovereignty of the nation, the green symbolizes hope, and the white shows purity.

History of the Flag of Madagascar :
During Madagascar's journey towards freedom, the emerging nation created this flag as a reflection of their historical traditions, signifying their independence. The colors in the flag represent the Malagasy people. The Merina Kingdom in what later became Madagascar was overtaken by French colonists, who invaded in 1883. This kingdom's royal monarch, Queen Ranavalona III had used red and white in the national flag. The green was incorporated to represent the common people, called the Hova, who played a significant role in anti-French agitation and the independence movement. The colors of the flag may also indicate the ethnic origins of the Malagasy people in Southeast Asia, and are shared by the flag of Indonesia.