Qatar’s flag has nine serrated white points dividing its white and maroon sections.
The points form a jagged vertical boundary near the hoist, where the white band meets the maroon field. Qatar adopted the modern flag on 9 July 1971, shortly before independence from the United Kingdom. Its unusually elongated proportions—11:28—also make it distinctive among national flags.
The nine points are traditionally linked to Qatar’s status as the ninth reconciled emirate to sign a treaty with Britain, following the other Trucial States and Bahrain. A common mix-up is with Bahrain’s flag, which also uses a serrated division but has five points rather than Qatar’s nine. Earlier Qatari flag versions used different numbers of serrations, so historical images can cause confusion.