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![[Flag of Niger]](../images/n/ne.gif)
image
by Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024
See also:
All the sources I consulted quickly give the ratio as 6:7 or 6:7~. Sometimes
2:3 flags are seen, but I would guess these are a product of "ignorance" or
international standardisation. Is the 6:7 proscribed in some legislation? Also
is there any regulation to the size of the disk?
Željko Heimer, 4 July 2002
As far as I am aware (and aside from the Constitutional references given on
links below) there has been no legislation since the original law which
established the flag. 'Actes du Government de la Republique du Niger No, 59-1'
of 23 November 1959 (published in 'Journal Officiel de la Republique du Niger
No. 1' of 1 January 1960 - of which I have a copy) gives neither a ratio for
the flag, nor a size for the disk.
Although often illustrated in 6:7 there is no apparent official reason why
this should be so, and it could be a case of vexilollogists copying each
other? It is worth remarking that the official Government website of the Niger
shows the flag at 2:3.
Christopher Southworth, 1 February 2003
I believe Christopher has formulated an interesting hypothesis. I can only add
that Pedersen 1970 shows the flag of Niger with proportions 7:8 and states
"adopted 1959".
Santiago Dotor, 5 February 2003
Regarding the dimensions of flag, I haven’t found any legal document about a 6:7 flag ratio. I don’t know who stated this ratio first, but other sources could copy from that. This ratio maybe comes from French military flags, but it seems that flag of 2:3 ratio used generally, but even 1:2 ratio also can be seen. Actually, I haven’t seen the national flag with 6:7 ratio in use (or rarely used). So, my recommendation is to illustrate a flag of 2:3 ratio.
Images of flag:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drapeau_du_Niger#/media/Fichier:Niger,_flags.jpg
https://tum.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Drapeau_Niger_ambassade_Paris.jpg
https://media.ouest-france.fr/v1/pictures
The national flag of Niger
can be seen
https://www.youtube.com/watch from 1:51:38.
Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024
The constitution only describes the flag:
https://adsdatabase.ohchr.org/IssueLibrary/NIGER_Constitution.pdf
"L'emblème national est le drapeau tricolore composé de trois (3) bandes
horizontales, rectangulaires et égales dont les couleurs sont disposées de haut
en bas dans l'ordre suivant : orange, blanc et vert. La bande blanche médiane
porte en son milieu un disque de couleur orange."
"The national emblem is
the tricolor flag composed of three (3) horizontal, rectangular and equal bands
whose colors are arranged from top to bottom in the following order: orange,
white and green. The middle white band has an orange disk in its middle."
I haven’t found any legal document about its color specification.
Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024
The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags
and Anthems Manual London 2012) provides recommendations for national flag
designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for
their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm
version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the
official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC
believed the flag to be. For Niger: PMS 150 yellow, 355 green. The vertical flag
is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees anti-clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 11 October 2012
There is no official source that gives exact colors of the national flag;
these are all approximate colors from these documented sources.
The
Album des Pavillons 1990 [pay98] (Corr. No.
29.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Orange: Pantone
166c, CMYK 0-70-100-0
Green: Pantone 3615c, CMYK 80-0-100-5
The Flag
Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone colors: PMS150 (orange). and PMS355
(green).
The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00]
(Corr. No. 5.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Orange: Pantone 166c, CMYK 0-70-100-0
Green: Pantone 361c, CMYK 69-0-100-0
The Album des Pavillons 2023 specifies the colors of the flags in three color
systems:
Orange: Pantone 166c, CMYK 3-78-100-0, RGB 229-83-0
Green:
Pantone 361c, CMYK 78-0-100-0, RGB 18-173-43
Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone
system: PMS 151C (orange), PMS White, and PMS 356C (green).
Wikipedia illustrates the flag, but
doesn’t give color values. The
Italian page gives RGB colors: gives the
following color values:
Orange: R:224 G:82 B:6, White: R:255 G:255
B:255, and Green: R:13 G:176 B:43.
Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Orange: Hex # E05206, RGB 224-82-6, CMYK 0-30-71-0, Pantone 150, RAL
2004
White: Hex #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone & RAL n/a
Green:
Hex # 0DB02B, RGB 13-176-43, CMYK
93-0-100-0, Pantone 355, RAL 6038
Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024
The flag of Niger is orange over white over green, with an orange disc on the central white stripe, symbolizing the sun. The proportions for the flag are 2:3 although other variants are apparently to be seen. The orange stands the Sahara desert, which borders Niger to the north. Green stands for the grassy plains of the south and west and for the River Niger which sustains them. It also stands for fraternity and hope. White generally symbolizes purity and hope. In the Nigerois flag it additionally stands for the savannah region of the country.
Similar symbolism appears in the flag of the neighbouring
Ivory Coast, which flies a flag of orange-white-green
vertical stripes. Both Niger and Ivory Coast were French possessions and
were originally closely linked economically.
Stuart Notholt, 4 June 1996
According to the little book Flags by Carol Shaw (probably [shw94], ed.), the flag of Niger,
like those of several other former French colonies, is modeled on the French
tricolor (even though the stripes are horizontal and not vertical).
Bruce Tindall, 4 June 1996
![[Arms of Niger]](../images/n/ne).gif)
image
by Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024
According to Pascal Vagnat & Jos Poels'
"Constitutions - What they tell us about national flags and coat of arms", the
Constitution of the Third Republic of Niger, adopted on 22 May 1996, says:
Title I: The State and Sovereignty
Article 1
[...]
The national emblem is a tricolor flag composed of three (3) equal rectangular
horizontal bands, which, from top to bottom, are orange, white and green. An
orange disc shall be in the centre of the middle band. [...] The motto of the
Republic is "Fraternity - Work - Progress". The State seal, whose diameter shall
be forty millimeters, shall be composed of a coat of arms containing a sun
bordered on the right by a spear bearing two Tuareg swords radiating upward from
its bottom, and at the left by three stalks of grain, one being upright and two
radiating from its bottom, accompanied at its point by the head of a zebu, all
in gold. The following inscription shall be in relief:
- at the top: "Republic of Niger"
- at the bottom: "Fraternity - Work - Progress".
The [ceremonial] arms of the Republic are composed of Sinople coat of arms with
a blazing sun of gold, bordered at the right by a spear bearing two Tuareg
swords radiating upward from its bottom, and, at left, by three stalks of grain,
one being upright and two radiating from its bottom, accompanied at its point by
the head of a zebu, all in gold. The coat of arms lies against a trophy of four
flags of the Republic of Niger. The inscription "Republic of Niger" is placed
below.
The wording of Article 1 is nearly identical to that in the former Constitution
of January 1993. A new Constitution was adopted on 21 July 1999 of which no
details were known at the time of writing.
The next release of PV & JP's book will probably include details of the 1999
Constitution, which is now available on the website of the Niger government. A
word file giving the full text (in French) of the Constitution can be downloaded
at
www.niger-gouv.org/docs/textes/Constitution.doc. The new Constitution was
promulgated by Decree #99-320/PCRN on 9 August 1999. Article 1 is identical to
that attached above, and Article 2 is also related to the national symbols.
Article 2
The emblems of the Republic, as defined by Article 1, shall be used only by
public authorities. Every illegal use for private purpose, every desecration of
those symbols shall be punished by law.
Therefore, a strict interpretation of Article 2 would mean that citizens of
Niger are not allowed to use the national flag, which has a status of State flag
only.
The national emblem is shown on several pages of the Government's website and
described on
www.niger-gouv.org/armoiries.htm. I am attaching the emblem from the
website, and you'll notice that the shield of arms does not match the
description in the Constitution: it is Gold with the charges Sable (black),
whereas it should be Sinople (green) with charges Gold.
Smith (1975) and DK
Pocket Book show the 'correct' version, so that I can think about three
hypotheses:
- The official website shows a wrong national emblem (!)
- The national emblem was changed but the official website shows an obsolete
version of the Constitution (!)
- The national emblem was changed but the relevant article in the Constitution
was not updated (!)
Stuart Notholt noted above that similar symbolism appears in the flag of the
neighbouring Ivory Coast, which flies a flag of orange-white-green vertical
stripes. Both Niger and Ivory Coast were French possessions and were originally
closely linked economically.
According to DK Pocket Book, Niger was in 1958 in
alliance with Ivory Coast, Chad and Dahomey (now Benin) to form a Sahel-Benin
Union which rapidly vanished. The same source says that on the arms the weapons
represent military achievement, the buffalo's head (zebu in the Constitution!)
pastoralism and the maize (millet in the Constitution!) cobs agriculture.
I have not found anything explaining the unusual 6:7 proportion of the national
flag. DK Pocket book retained 2:3 proportion
only. On the national emblem, the four flags look more 2:3 than 6:7 but this
does not constitute an evidence.
Ivan Sache, 1 November 2002
Images of current emblem:
https://embassyofniger.org/le-niger-2/
https://cnsp.ne/
Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024
Anything below the following line isnt part of the Flags of the World Website and was added by the hoster of this mirror.
