Kuwait adopted its current flag in 1961. The flag has three stripes – green, white, and red – with a black trapezoid on the left part of the flag (at the hoist). The flag is a symbol of Kuwait’s independence.

Table of Contents

• History of the Flag of Kuwait
• What is the meaning behind the colours of the Kuwait Flag
• Interesting Facts about the Flag of Kuwait

History of the Flag of Kuwait

Before 1899, Kuwait used a plain red flag with a crescent and a star during the Ottoman rule (Turkish Empire rule). In 1899, Kuwait and the British signed the secret Anglo-Kuwait Agreement. The agreement was that Kuwait would not receive foreign representatives and that they would not sell, lease, cede, or mortgage any of their territories to any foreigner without consent from the British. The British in return would protect Kuwait’s territorial integrity against any threats. During this time, Kuwait used the red flag with a five-pointed star, a crescent moon and the Arabic text for Kuwait. In 1909, they enlarged the crescent moon and star. They also moved the Arabic text to the top right of the flag. However, in 1914, a friendly fire incident occurred at the Shatt Al-Arab river during the Mesopotamian campaign and it was time for Kuwait to change their flag. In 1915, the star and the crescent moon were removed and the text was moved to the center and enlarged. On the left side, a broad white stripe was added.

After 1921, the Sheikh added the Shahada to the flag after Kuwait was declared an Independent sheikhdom under British protectorate. The flag was red with the Kuwait Arabic inscription and the Shahada lettering parallel to the mast. It read lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh, muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh which means: “There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God”. They used the flag until 1940 when the Sheikh added the unique Sabah family logo and used it until 1956. They used the flag on Kuwait’s Emblem too. Later in 1956, they adopted a new red flag that had a white wavy stripe on the left. The flag also had the Shahada in Arabic added. In 1961, the country adopted a Pan-Arab colored flag which is used until today. The flag has the colors green-red-white in a horizontal tricolor and a black trapezium at the hoist side.

What is the meaning behind the colours on the Kuwait Flag?

Colour
The meaning of the colours come from a poem by Safie Al-Deen Al-Hali. He wrote of the Arab green fields, the black battles they faced, the purity of their deeds and the blood on their swords. The symbolism of the colours is, therefore: white for their deeds; black for the battles; green for the lands and red for their swords.

Shape
The Kuwait flag consists of a horizontal triband of green, white, red and a black trapezium at the hoist side in the proportion of 1:2.

Interesting Facts about the Flag of Kuwait

• The flag should hang horizontally with the green stripe on top, and vertically with the red stripe on the flag’s left side.
• The Kuwait flag has broken several Guinness World Records over the years. These include:
  • In 2019, Kuwait set the record for having the longest flag in the world. Over 4000 students took to the road with a flag measuring 2019 meters long. It was just before celebrations of the country’s National Day on the 25th of February. They also set a Guinness World record in 2015 for the longest flag.
  • In 2005, Peter Lynn designed the world’s largest kite using a Kuwait inflated flag. The flag was 950 m2.
  • Three Kuwaiti army officers broke the skydiving world record in 2018, after a leap of 13,000 feet when carrying a Kuwaiti flag of 63 m2.
  • In 2018, Chevrolet won a Guinness World Record for the largest flag flown by a vehicle. The Chevrolet pickup pulled a Kuwaiti flag that measured 433 sqm for more than 100 m. This was not the first time. They set the record in September 2016 with a 297.6sqm banner before Ford broke it with a 383.18m2 two months later.
  • In 2016, they also set the record for the largest balloon flown banner. The banner representing the Kuwait flag weighed 700 kg and was flown by 120 giant helium balloons.
  • In 2016, Ahmad Al Bassam from Kuwait flew the largest banner (a Kuwaiti flag) on an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Do you know any other interesting facts about the flag of Kuwait? Share your thoughts below.