Flag of Niger

{{Infobox flag

| Name = Republic of the Niger

| Image = Flag of Niger.svg

| Use = 111000

| Proportion = 6:7 (by convention; see below.)

| Adoption = {{Start date and age|1959|11|23|df=y}}

| Design = A horizontal tricolour of orange, white and green; charged with an orange circle in the centre.

| Designer =

}}

The flag of Niger ({{langx|fr|drapeau du Niger}}) has been the national flag of the Republic of the Niger since 1959, a year prior to its formal independence from French West Africa. It uses the national colors of orange, white and green, were inspired by the colours of the Irish Tricolour, in equal horizontal bands, with an orange circle in the center. It forms one of the official national symbols of the Republic of the Niger, along with the coat of arms, the National Anthem ("The Honor of the Fatherland"), and the national motto: "Fraternité, Travail, Progrès".

File:Niger, flags.jpg

Legal definition

Prior to the independence from French West Africa, the flag of Niger was adopted by the Territorial Assembly of the Niger Colony on 23 November 1959, shortly before the proclamation of the Republic within the French Community on 18 December 1959. The flag was designed in 1958. It was retained upon independence in 1960 and has remained unchanged through to the 2010 Constitution.{{Cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Niger_2010?lang=en|title=2010 Constitution of Niger|website=constituteproject.org|access-date=January 1, 2023}}

Symbolism

A number of sources have described the symbolic intent of the flag, although official sources have yet to confirm. Common interpretations are that the upper orange band represents the northern regions of the Sahara Desert, or the Sahel, the center white band represents purity, or the Niger River, and the lower green band represents both hope and the fertile regions of southern Niger, the orange disc in the center band is thought to stand for the sun or independence.see Flags of the World, which cites published (foreign) sources for this. Other examples include [http://www.worldflags101.com/n/niger-flag.aspx Flags of the World 101] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231163024/http://www.worldflags101.com/n/niger-flag.aspx |date=2010-12-31 }}
Susan Rasmussen [http://ethnohistory.dukejournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/53/4/633 Moving beyond Protest in Tuareg Ichumar Musical Performance]. Ethnohistory 2006 53(4):633–655 describes Tuareg performers in orange, saying "orange symbolizes the Sahara desert" and relating it to the colors of the Nigerien flag.

Ratio

The flag's traditional portrayal with an unusual 6:7 ratio is of unknown significance and is not used consistently in print applications of the Nigerien government.The FOTW for a discussion of this, and the following government websites for examples of various ratios being used official capacity:

[http://www.presidence.ne/ http://www.presidence.ne/ ] President of Niger
[http://www.assemblee.ne/ http://www.assemblee.ne/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818033526/http://www.assemblee.ne/ |date=2007-08-18 }} National Assembly of Niger
[http://www.communication-gouv-niger.ne/ http://www.communication-gouv-niger.ne/ ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323120209/http://www.communication-gouv-niger.ne/ |date=2008-03-23 }} Government communications office of Niger. The ratio is not explicitly specified in the Constitution of Niger.

File:Flag of Niger (3-2).svg|{{FIAV|111000|1}} Ratio 2:3

File:Flag of Niger (5-3).svg|{{FIAV|111000|1}} Ratio 3:5

File:Flag of Niger (2-1).svg|{{FIAV|111000|1}} Ratio 1:2

Historical flags

class="wikitable"
Flag ! Years of use ! Ratio ! Government ! Description
rowspan=3 \|File:Flag of France.svg \|1902–1904 \|rowspan=3 \|2:3 \|As part of Senegambia and Niger \|rowspan=3 \|The French tricolor was used as the official flag of Niger for most of its history as a colony.
1904–1922 \|As part of Upper Senegal and Niger
1922–1959 \| rowspan="2" \|Colony of Niger
rowspan="2" \|File:Flag of Niger.svg \| rowspan="2" \|1959–present \| rowspan="2" \|6:7 \| rowspan="2" \|The current flag, consisting of a horizontal triband of orange, white and green; charged with an orange circle in the center, was adopted as the official flag of the Colony of Niger on 23 November 1959. It has remained the national flag of the Republic of the Niger since its independence in 1960.
Republic of the Niger

class="wikitable"

Flag

! Years of use

! Ratio

! Government

! Description

rowspan=3 |File:Flag of France.svg

|1902–1904

|rowspan=3 |2:3

|As part of Senegambia and Niger

|rowspan=3 |The French tricolor was used as the official flag of Niger for most of its history as a colony.

1904–1922

|As part of Upper Senegal and Niger

1922–1959

| rowspan="2" |Colony of Niger

rowspan="2" |File:Flag of Niger.svg

| rowspan="2" |1959–present

| rowspan="2" |6:7

| rowspan="2" |The current flag, consisting of a horizontal triband of orange, white and green; charged with an orange circle in the center, was adopted as the official flag of the Colony of Niger on 23 November 1959. It has remained the national flag of the Republic of the Niger since its independence in 1960.

Republic of the Niger

Other flags

= Military flags =

File:Flag of niger armed forces obv.jpg|Flag of the Niger Armed Forces, obverse side

File:Flag of niger armed forces rev.jpg|{{FIAV|reverse}} Flag of the Niger Armed Forces, reverse side

File:Flag of the National Gendarmerie (Niger).png|Flag of the Gendarmerie Nationale

File:Flag of the National Police (Niger).png|Flag of the National Police

File:Roundel of Niger.svg|Roundel of the Niger Air Force

File:Roundel of Niger (1961–1980).svg|Historical roundel of the Niger Air Force (1961-1980)

= Ethnic group flags =

File:Flag of the Hausa people.svg|Flag of the Hausa people (53.1% of the total population of Niger{{Efn|name=demographics|See: Demographics of Niger § Ethnic groups}})

File:Flag of the Kanuri people.svg|Flag of the Kanuri people (5.9% of the total population of Niger{{Efn|name=demographics}})

File:Flag of the Toubou people.svg|Flag of the Toubou people (0.4% of the total population of Niger{{Efn|name=demographics}})

File:Le drapeau Toubou-Gorane.png|Flag of Daza-speaking Toubou people

Notes

References

Portions of this article were translated from the German language Wikipedia article :de:Flagge Nigers, (consulted 2008-07-25).
W. Smith, O. Neubecker: Die Zeichen der Menschen und Völker: Unsere Welt in Fahnen und Flaggen. Reich Verlag Luzern, 1975, {{ISBN|3-7243-0115-4}}
[https://www.fotw.info/flags/ne.html Flag of Niger at FOTW], (consulted 2008-07-25).