This article is a

vexillological Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. The word is a synth ...

summary of all flags and symbols in current use by the island nation of

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. More information on the history of the various flags and emblems, as well as on their equivalents which are no longer in use, is found on the specific articles, linked to in the subtitle headings.

National flag and coat of arms

The National Flag of Malta is defined in the Constitution and consists of two equal vertical stripes, white in the hoist and red in the fly, with a representation of the George Cross, edged with red, in the canton of the white stripe; the breadth of the flag is one and a half times its height. It was adopted when Malta became independent from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1964. The George Cross decoration was awarded by King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

for collective gallantry in 1942. Malta remained the only collective awardee of the decoration until it was awarded to the Royal Ulster Constabulary of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

in 1999. The current emblem of Malta is described by the Emblem and Public Seal of Malta Act (1988) as a shield showing an

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

representation of the National Flag; above the shield a

mural crown A mural crown ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later ...

in gold with a sally port and eight turrets (five only being visible) representing the

fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of Malta and denoting a

City State A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

; and around the shield a wreath of two branches: the dexter of Olive, the sinister of Palm, symbols of peace and courage to victory traditionally associated with Malta, all in their proper colours, tied at base with a white ribbon, backed red and upon which are written the words in capital letters in black. Image:Flag of Malta.svg, National flag since 1964 Image:Coat of arms of Malta.svg, Coat of arms since 1988

Other flags or symbols

In current use

Image:Flag of the President of Malta.svg, The Presidential Flag of Malta was introduced by a proclamation dated 12 December 1988. This flag is flown on the President's official residences and offices and on all occasions at which the president is present. It has the same proportions as the National Flag and consists of a blue field with the Emblem of Malta at its centre; and a Maltese Cross in gold in each corner. Image:Flag of the Archbishop of Malta.svg, The flag of the Archbishop of Malta consists of two equal vertical stripes, yellow in the hoist and white in the fly. It is believed to date back from 754 AD, making it Malta's oldest flag. Image:Pennant of the Armed Forces of Malta.png, The pennant of the Commander of the

Armed Forces of Malta The Armed Forces of Malta ( mt, Forzi Armati ta' Malta) is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions, with minimal air and naval ...

consists of a red field with the symbol of the Armed Forces in gold at its centre. Image:Pennant of the Malta Police Force.png, The pennant of the Commissioner of Police consists of a blue field with the symbol of the Police Force at its centre. Image:Civil Ensign of Malta.svg, The Merchant Flag of Malta, the

civil ensign A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag ...

, was introduced by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1964 and consists of a red field bordered in white, with a white Maltese Cross at its centre. This flag is flown by Maltese civilian vessels as their ensign. Maltese military vessels fly the National Flag. Image:Naval Jack of Malta.svg, The Naval Jack of Malta intended to be flown by Maltese military vessels consists of a square flag, consisting of a George Cross proper fimbriated in red in the centre of a white square, within a red square. Each corner of the red square shall contain a white Maltese Cross. Image:Fin Flash of Malta.svg, The

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

or fin flash used by Maltese military aircraft consists of two equal vertical strips, one white and the other red with the white leading and bearing across its top third a George Cross proper fimbriated in red. Image:Roundel of Malta.svg, The

roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of diff ...

on the wings and fuselage of Maltese military aircraft consists of a George Cross proper fimbriated in red in the centre of a white disc, within a red disc. Whenever then national flag is painted on the side of an aeroplane, the hoist should be towards the front of the plane with the fly flowing aft.

Historical Flags

Knights' Flag (1530-1798)

The original flag of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

consisted of a white Maltese Cross on a black background, however this was never used in Malta. The only flag used in Malta in the time of the Knights consisted of a white symmetrical cross on a red field with the cross having a width of 1/5 the height of the flag - similar to the

flag of England The flag of England is the national flag of England, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is derived from Saint George's Cross (heraldic blazon: ''Argent, a cross gules''). The association of the red cross as an emblem of England ...

, colors reversed with a proportion of 5:3. The flag is still used by the Knights' modern successor, the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

. Image:Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.svg, Flag of Malta 1530-1798

Colonial Flags (19th century-1964)

Several flags were used by the British Colonial administration of Malta prior to independence in 1964. Between 1798 and 1813, the Neapolitan flag and the

Union flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

were used in Malta. After Malta became a Crown Colony a new flag was adopted, having the colours of the Order of Saint John, but with different proportions and defaced by the Union flag. Later flags consisted of the British

blue ensign The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or defaced with a badge or other emblem. The ev ...

defaced by the

coat of arms of Malta The coat of arms of Malta is the national coat of arms of the country of Malta. The present coat of arms is described by the Emblem and Public Seal of Malta Act of 1988 as a shield showing an heraldic representation of the national flag of Malta ...

. Image:19th Century Flag of Malta.svg, Colonial flag in the 19th century Image:Flag of Malta (1875–1898).svg, Colonial flag 1875-1898 Image:Flag of Malta (1898-1923).svg, Colonial flag 1898-c.1923 Image:Flag of Malta (1923-1943).svg, Colonial flag c.1923-1943 Image:Flag of Malta (1943-1964).svg, Colonial flag 1943-1964

Standard of the Queen of Malta (1967-1974)

The Standard of the

Queen of Malta Elizabeth II was Queen of Malta ( mt, Reġina ta' Malta) as head of state of Malta from 1964 to 1974. Malta was an independent sovereign state and a constitutional monarchy, sharing a monarch with other Commonwealth realms, including the United ...

was introduced in 1967. It consisted of a Maltese flag defaced by the personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II. Image:Royal Standard of Malta (1964–1974).svg, Royal standard of Malta 1967-1974

Other symbols

File:Kelb tal fenek 529.jpg, National animal:

Pharaoh Hound The Pharaoh Hound or is a Maltese breed of hunting dog. It is traditionally used for rabbit-hunting in the rocky terrain of the islands; the Maltese name means "rabbit dog". It is classified by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in it ...

() File:Blue-Rock-Thrush-Alex-Casha.jpg, National bird: Blue rock thrush (, since 1971) File:Палеоцентаурея мальтийская.png, National plant:

Maltese centaury ''Cheirolophus crassifolius'', the Maltese centaury, Maltese rock-centaury or Widnet il-Baħar, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to Malta, where it has been the national plant of Malta since 1973. Its natur ...

(, since 1971) File:Tetraclinis articulata Buskett Gardens Malta 01.jpg, National tree: Sictus tree () File:Coat of arms of Malta 1964-1975.svg, National motto: (Latin for ''Power and Consistency'', since 1964) File:Malta - Mosta - Rotunda 06 ies.jpg, Patron saint:

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

File:Saint Publius (cropped).jpg, Patron saint:

Saint Publius Saint Publius ( mt, San Publju; grc-gre, Πούπλιος) is a first century Maltese bishop. He is venerated as the first Bishop of Malta and one of the first Bishops of Athens. Publius is Malta's first acknowledged saint, the prince of t ...

File:Piero, sant'agata.jpg, Patron saint:

Saint Agatha Agatha of Sicily () is a Christian saint. Her feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred . She is one of several virgin martyrs who are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Ma ...

File:Malta 1922 One Pound.jpg, National personification: Melita File:Unofficial Flag of Malta (pre-1943).svg,

National colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

: Red and white File:Malta Cross (cropped).JPG, Maltese Cross (, since 1530) File:GeorgeCrossObv.png, George Cross (since 1942)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Symbols Of Malta