Mauritius’s national flag consists of four horizontal stripes of red, blue, yellow and green.
The four bands are commonly associated with the country’s history and landscape. Red refers to the struggle for freedom and independence, blue to the Indian Ocean, yellow to the light of independence, and green to the island’s agriculture and vegetation. These interpretations are widely used in descriptions of the flag.
Known informally as Les Quatre Bandes, meaning “The Four Bands,” the flag was designed by Gurudutt Moher and adopted on 12 March 1968, the day Mauritius became independent. The same date is celebrated as the country’s national day, while 12 March 1992 marked its transition to a republic.
Mauritius’s flag can be confused with Lithuania’s because both include red, yellow and green. Lithuania has three broad horizontal bands and no blue stripe; Mauritius uniquely places blue between red and yellow.