Africa

Flag of Niger

Niger is the largest country in West Africa by area, though the vast majority of its territory is covered by the Sahara Desert, with most of the population concentrated in a narrow fertile zone along its southern border. Named after the Niger River that passes through its southwestern corner, the country has significant uranium deposits making it one of the world's top uranium producers. Niger consistently ranks near the very bottom of global human development indices.

CapitalNiamey
RegionAfrica
Current flag since1959
Main coloursOrange, White, Green
Populationabout 25 million
Areaabout 1,267,000 km²
GeographyLandlocked
Flags in history2

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of Niger means

Orange stands for the Sahara desert in the north, white for purity and hope, and green for the fertile south and the Niger River. The orange circle represents the sun. The flag was adopted in 1959, a year before independence from France. It resembles India's flag, which has a blue wheel in the middle instead of an orange disc.

More about the flag

Niger takes its name from the Niger River, which flows through its southwest, while most of the country lies in the Sahara and the Sahel. Its flag has unusual proportions of 6:7, almost square, although it is often made at 2:3. It became independent from France on 3 August 1960. The orange disc is usually read as the sun.

How to recognise it

Horizontal orange-white-green with an orange circle in the centre white stripe.

Did you know?

Niger is the largest country in West Africa and one of the hottest countries on Earth.

Easily confused with

Niger's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:

India

Côte d'Ivoire

Flag history of Niger

Every flag that has flown over Niger, from today back through time.

1959–present

Flag of Niger

Adopted in 1959 shortly before independence, with a central orange disc for the sun. Green stands for hope and the river south, white for purity, and orange for the Sahara. It has never changed.

1922–1959

French Niger

A vast, mostly Saharan colony within French West Africa, Niger flew the French tricolor. Conquest met fierce resistance well into the 20th century, and France invested little in the territory — leaving one of the world's poorest nations at the independence it reached in 1960 with its own sun-disc flag.