The flag of the Maltese state consists of two equal vertical stripes - white closer to the pole and red at the tip; in the canton (upper left corner, otherwise - kryzhe) depicts a white cross of St. George with red edging; the proportion is two to three.
The history of this symbol as an official one dates back a little more than seventy years - it was approved on October 22, 1964, in parallel with the country's independence.
The current status is governed by the Crown Act of 1988 on the Emblem and Seal of the State of Malta: it refers to a shield depicting a state flat, above which is a gold-coloured fresco with a port for the gun and eight towers, of which only five are visible to the observer; the coat of arms is crowned with two branches - palm and olive, traditionally symbolizing a peace-loving policy and victory in hostilities. At the base of the branches are connected by a white ribbon, on which the name of the country is inscribed in Monegasque: "Republic of Malta".
Other flags and symbols
This is not the only symbol used in Malta. Let's take a look at the others:
Flag of the President
It was established by a proclamation statement in December 1988 for hanging on the facade of the official residence and office buildings, as well as any other places where the President of the State currently resides.
It is a cloth of a ratio of 2 to 3, where on a blue background there is a state cross surrounded by four golden-colored crosses of the Maltese form.
Archbishop's flag
It is two equal stripes, yellow and white. It is claimed to be dated 755, and is the oldest flag on the island as a result.
Banner of the Commander-in-Chief and other security forces
The flag of the army chief on the island is a red triangular field with a golden badge of the armed forces in the central part.
The flag of the police commissioner is blue, also three-pointed, and in the center is habitually located the coat of arms of his department.
Commercial flag
The flag of merchant shipping was approved in accordance with the legalization of 1964 and is a scarlet field with a white border; in the center there is a cross of Malta of white color. All merchant and civilian vessels are required to sail under it at sea, while naval ships are required to carry the national flag.
The sea flag has a proper name - Naval Jack,and is a square, in the central part of which there is a cross of gray color with a red frame on a white, edged with a red background. Smaller Maltese crosses are painted at the corners of this red outline.
Glorious past
The most famous symbol associated with the island and its inhabitants is a cross with split ends – otherwise Maltese. It dates back to the Knights Hospitaller, who guarded the holy places during the Crusades and maintained hospitals for pilgrims and residents of Jerusalem.
It was originally a cross on a black background, but this was long before the knights settled in Malta, where they moved from Rhodes and Crete. Here a symmetrical cross on a rectangular flag was used, very similar to english (with the only difference that the red color here is rather "Danish"). This symbol is used to this day by the successor of the knightly order - the Sovereign Military Order of Malta,which is most often considered an independent state with territory and other mandatory features.
This continued until the British annexation, which was replaced by a short-term alliance with the Russian Empire during the time of Paul I - he laid on himself the signs of the Grand Master. But this alliance broke up with the death of the odious monarch. They were replaced by the British, this time firmly and for a long time. Between 1798 and 1813, the flag of the Neapolitan Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Union Jack of His Majesty George were used on the island.
- During the British rule, several flags were changed. First in order was the combination of a white cross on a dark red background with Union Jack in the upper left corner. The proportions were different, the flag was a little more elongated.
- It was replaced in 1875 by blue, with the unchanged Union flag in the upper left corner and a red and white shield with a cross enclosed in a white circle. In 1898, the cross disappeared from the circle - only the shield remained, and in 1912 the white circle disappeared - the empire was on the path of unification and simplification.
However, in this form, the Maltese flag mixed resembled some other colonial ones - for example, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand, so the circle in 1923 was returned, and the shield changed shape and acquired a miniature image of the traditional knightly sign.
It remained so until 1964, when the island gained independence. The connection with Great Britain, however, remained - Malta remained a commonwealth state, the head of which is Elizabeth II. During the Queen's stay in the country, the royal standard is used: a white and red bicolor with the Queen's monogram in the center and a red contour cross in the upper left corner.
