The five-pointed Star of Unity on Somalia’s national flag is white.
The star sits at the center of a plain sky-blue field. Its white color creates a strong contrast with the blue background, making it the flag’s only central symbol and an immediately recognizable national emblem.
Somalia adopted the flag on 12 October 1954, while the territory was still the Trust Territory of Somaliland. It was designed by Mohammed Awale Liban and continued as the flag of the Somali Republic after independence and union in 1960.
The five points traditionally refer to major areas inhabited by Somalis: Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, the Somali region of Ethiopia, and Kenya’s former North Eastern Province. The “Star of Unity” therefore carries an ethnic and historical meaning, not merely a decorative one. It should not be confused with a yellow star, as seen on several other national flags.