Qatar adopted its current national flag in 1971. The official adoption date was July 9, shortly before Qatar declared independence from the United Kingdom on September 3 of that year.
The flag has a white band at the hoist and a deep maroon field at the fly, separated by a serrated edge with nine points. The 1971 flag was a slight adaptation of an earlier design used from 1949, with the proportions changed for the modern national version.
The nine points traditionally represent Qatar as the ninth emirate to join the group of reconciled Gulf emirates covered by the 1916 Qatari-British treaty. The white portion symbolizes peace, while the maroon color reflects Qatar’s long history of purple-dye production. The shade was officially standardized as Qatar maroon in 2012.
Qatar’s flag is often confused with Bahrain’s because both use a serrated white band. Bahrain’s flag is red, has fewer points, and uses a less unusual 3:5 proportion; Qatar’s distinctive ratio is 11:28.