Flag of Cambodia
The flag of Cambodia (Khmer: ទង់ជាតិ កម្ពុជា Tung-Cheat, "National flag") in its present form was originally adopted in 1948 and readopted in 1993, after the Constituent Assembly election in 1993 and restoration of the Cambodian monarchy.
Name | Khmer: ទង់ជាតិកម្ពុជា (The national flag of Cambodia) |
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Use | National flag and ensign |
Proportion | 16:25 |
Adopted | 1948 1993 (readopted) |
Relinquished | 1970 (replaced by flag of the Khmer Republic) |
Design | Three horizontal bands of blue, red (double width) and blue, with a depiction of Angkor Wat in white centred on the red band. |
Variant flag of Cambodia | |
Use | War flag |
Design | Blue field with a red canton; in the canton a white representation of Angkor Wat, in the upper fly corner three white stars. Design is similar to the flag of the Khmer Republic |
Variant flag of Cambodia | |
Use | Naval jack |
Design | A red field with a blue border, a depiction of Angkor Wat in white is centered. Design is similar to the flag of the French Protectorate of Cambodia |
Description
Since around 1850, the Cambodian flag has featured a depiction of Angkor Wat in the centre. The current flag, with a blue border and red central (the stripes are in the ratio 1:2:1) was adopted following Cambodia's independence in 1948. It was used until 9 October 1970, when a new flag was introduced for Lon Nol's Khmer Republic that lasted until the takeover of the Khmer Rouge in 1975. The subsequent state of Democratic Kampuchea, which existed from 1975 to 1979, used a red flag with a three-towered Angkor Wat design retained in yellow beginning in 1976. The People's Republic of Kampuchea was established in 1979, after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.
The Kampuchean National United Front for National Salvation (FUNSK) revived the flag adopted by the Khmer Issarak in the days of anti-French resistance for the new state. This flag had the same colour pattern as the DK flag, but with a yellow five-towered Angkor Wat silhouette. When the PRK renamed itself as "State of Cambodia" (SOC) in 1989, the flag's lower half became blue. The UNTAC flag was used during the 1992–1993 transitional period along with the flag of the SOC within Cambodia.
In 1993, the 1948 Cambodian flag was readopted. The current Cambodian flag, together with the flags of Afghanistan, Bolivia, Portugal, San Marino, and Spain, are the only six state flags to feature a building.[1] Red and blue are traditional colours of Cambodia.
The flag used today is the same as that established in 1948, although the older flag is sometimes said to have used a red outline for Angkor Wat while the current flag uses black specifically. Since that time, five other intervening designs have been used. Almost all made use of the image of the temple of Angkor Wat in one form or another. This famous temple site, which dates from the 12th century, was built by the Mahidharapura monarchs. It has five towers, but these were not always all depicted in the stylised version used on flags. The monarchy was restored in September 1993, the 1948 flag having been readopted in June of that year.
Symbolism
Symbols | Meaning | People |
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Angkor Wat | Integrity, Justice and Heritage | Religion |
Blue | Liberty, Cooperation and Brotherhood | King |
Red | Bravery | Nation |
Royal standard
Adopted | 1993 |
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Design | azure, the royal arms or royal seal |
The Royal Standard of the King of Cambodia (Khmer: ទង់ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ; literally, "King's Flag") is the personal flag of the Cambodian monarch. It was officially adopted in 1993, but its initial use dates back to 1941. It is also considered among the national symbols of Cambodia.
Historical national flags
Flag | Duration | Use | Colors scheme | ||||||||||||||||
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Pre-1863 | Flag of the Khmer Empire | ||||||||||||||||||
1863–1948 | Flag of the Kingdom of Cambodia as a French protectorate (1863–1948) |
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1948–1970 | Flag of the Kingdom of Cambodia during the French protectorate (1948–1953) and after its independence from France (1953–1970) | ||||||||||||||||||
1970–1975 | Flag of the Khmer Republic. |
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1975–1976 | Flag of Democratic Kampuchea and National Government of Cambodia | ||||||||||||||||||
1976–1979 | Flag of Democratic Kampuchea (and of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea until 1992) |
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1979–1989 | Flag of the People's Republic of Kampuchea |
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1989–1992 | Flag of the State of Cambodia[2] |
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1992–1993 | Flag of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) | ||||||||||||||||||
1993–present | Flag of Cambodia since the restoration of the monarchy in 1993. |
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See also
References
- Green, Michael (20 March 2015). "Flags, for God's Sake". brandingthenations.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- "Cambodian Flag History". Crwflags.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.