Malawi is a small landlocked country in southeastern Africa known as the 'Warm Heart of Africa' for the warmth and friendliness of its people. Lake Malawi, one of Africa's Great Rift Valley lakes, occupies roughly a third of the country's area and contains more species of fish than any other lake on Earth. Despite this ecological richness, Malawi is one of the world's least developed nations with most of the population living in rural areas.
Population and area are rounded.
Black stands for the people of Africa, red for the blood of martyrs for African freedom, and green for the country's ever-green nature. The rising red sun represents the dawn of hope and freedom for the whole continent. Malawi briefly replaced it from 2010 to 2012 with a flag showing a full white sun, before the original 1964 design was restored.
Malawi was the British protectorate of Nyasaland until independence on 6 July 1964, and its flag drew on the colours of the Malawi Congress Party. In 2010 President Bingu wa Mutharika replaced the rising sun with a full white sun, saying the country had progressed, but the change was unpopular and parliament restored the original flag in 2012. Lake Malawi covers about a fifth of the country.
Horizontal black-red-green with a rising red sun in the centre of the black stripe.
Malawi is nicknamed "the Warm Heart of Africa" for the friendliness of its people.
Malawi's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:
Every flag that has flown over Malawi, from today back through time.
After President Mutharika's death, Parliament voted in 2012 to restore the original 1964 design — a rare "changed and changed back" flag story. The red rising sun symbolizes the dawn of freedom across Africa.
Changed in 2010 under President Mutharika to a full white sun, meant to show economic progress. The unpopular change was nicknamed the "Bingu flag" and reversed two years later.
Adopted at independence on 6 July 1964, the black-red-green triband with a red rising sun of 31 rays — the same design restored in 2012.
Malawi shares a land border with 3 countries: Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
4 other national flags use the same main colours as Malawi's.
Play Globalio and learn Malawi's flag
Kenya
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
Tanzania
Zambia
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
São Tomé and Príncipe
Vanuatu