The crescent on the Maldives’ national flag is white.
The white crescent is placed inside a green rectangle centered on a red field. Its closed side faces the hoist, or flagpole side, while its points face toward the fly. The crescent symbolizes Islam, the state religion of the Maldives.
The flag’s other colors have their own symbolism. Red represents the blood shed by national heroes and the willingness to defend the country, while green represents peace and prosperity. The present design was adopted on 25 July 1965, when the Maldives gained independence from the United Kingdom and removed the older black-and-white striped hoist.
A frequent mix-up involves the presidential standard, which adds a five-pointed star beside the crescent. That star is not part of the ordinary national flag. Historical Maldivian flags also used different hoist patterns and crescent orientations, but the current national flag has a single white crescent.