Flags of Senegal

The flag of Senegal has the Pan-African colors in vertical strips starting with green on its left, gold or yellow in the middle followed by red on the right. All the three strips are equal in area. In the middle of the flag, on the gold strip, is a five branched green star- the star standing for the sky and the spiritual values of the nation while the green in the star represents hope for the recently freed nation. The green strip on the left of the flag near the hoist is, a symbol of Islam for the Muslims, a symbol of hope for the Christians and a symbol of foliage for the Animists.

The gold color symbolizes wealth and intellect whereas red shows life and sacrifice. On 22nd August, 1960, Senegal withdrew from the Mali Federation, which was formed on 4th April, 1959 by French Sudan and Senegal. It was at this juncture that Senegal flew its own flag- a flag with the similar tricolors of the federation but replacing the Kanaga (Blackman figure) with a green star.