Malta’s flag is a vertical white-and-red bicolour with the George Cross in the canton of the white stripe. The white section is nearest the flagpole, while the red section is on the fly side.
The George Cross was awarded to Malta by King George VI on 15 April 1942, recognizing the island’s courage during the Second World War. Malta was under intense Axis bombardment, and the award honored the collective bravery of its civilian population and defenders. The cross was later incorporated into Malta’s flag.
Malta adopted the present design when it became independent from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1964. The George Cross is edged in red, a detail that distinguishes the modern flag from earlier versions that used a blue canton. The flag can be confused with the red-and-white flags of Indonesia, Poland, and Monaco, but those flags do not have the George Cross and differ in stripe orientation or proportions.