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image by Zoltan Horvath, 9 May 2024See also:
The triangle seems to be both equilateral and reaching the center
of the flag, and the flag ratio is (consequently)
~3:5.
Jan Zrzavy, 31 Jan 2002
Shipmate Flagchart
includes the new Comorian flag (with a triangle reaching the center of a
flag and with flag ratio 2:3) as a "new flag established by
referendum". As a source, the Flag Research
Center is mentioned.
Jan Zrzavy, 10 Jan 2002
There is a page
about the current flag (and
its
image), at the Mwzinet
/ Comores Online web site. Comparing it with the image above, the shade
of yellow seems darker (because it touches white?), while blue and green look
lighter and "greyer" - perhaps because the image
is overexposed? The looks also longer than one and a half the height of the
flag (an incorrect depiction in official use) and the crescent is more
"banana-like" (and much uglier) with the stars stacked by its side,
not "inside" it.
António Martins, 02 Mar 2003
The upright stars of most Comoros flag images were based
on the official model supplied when the flag was adopted.
Christopher Southworth, 01 Oct 2006
image by Pascal Vagnat and António Martins, 30 Sep 2006
On
this
page of the IRINnews website by clicking on the picture we get a large photo
of a Union flag with a different arrangement of the stars.
Paraskevas Renesis, 13 Apr 2006
In this
IRINnews photo the stars are pointing to the fly. It may be the official
design, and perhaps even the only one in local use, as the legal documents
about the flag do not detail the orientation of the stars.
António Martins, 13 Apr 2006
The (huge) photo is still on line but not the article it was shown in.
Anyway, the validity of this flag is up to anyone’s guess; we can only be
sure that such a flag existed (for the photo is detailed enough to count the
stitches!); expert botanists may try to guess the location based on the canopy
visible in background… For what it is worth, IRINnews is expected to deliver
on-location stories.
António Martins, 30 Sep 2006
The colors are defined in the constitution as simply yellow, white, red,
blue, and green. Nowhere does the government document any specific color shades.
The Presidency of the Comoros website shows the national flag, coat of arms,
and current flags of members of the union:
https://beit-salam.km/symboles-de-letat/
Images of flag:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Comoros#/media/File:Comoran_embassy_in_Paris.jpg
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-06/16/c_1310011390.htm
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006080425311.html
Other sources
for colors:
The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone colors: PMS 107
C (yellow), PMS 179 C (red), PMS 3005 C (blue), and PMS 362 C (green).
The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No.
6.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Yellow: Pantone
123c, CMYK 0-30-95-0
Red: Pantone 485c, CMYK 0-100-90-0
Blue: Pantone
286c, CMYK 100-60-0-5
Green: Pantone 348c, CMYK 100-0-80-25
Flags and
Anthems Manual London 2012 [g9b12] gives
Pantone colors: PMS 109 (yellow), PMS 355 (green), PMS 032 (red), PMS 293
(blue).
The Album des Pavillons 2023 already specifies the colors of the
flags in three color systems.
Blue: Pantone 293c, CMYK 94-73-0-0, RGB
0-71-182
Red: Pantone 32c, CMYK 0-89-68-0, RGB 239-51-64
Yellow: Pantone
109c, CMYK 1-17-93-0, RGB 253-209-0
Green: Pantone 355c, CMYK 84-12-100-1,
RGB 0-149-48
Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone
system: PMS 363C (green), PMS White, PMS 123C (yellow), PMS 186C (red), and PMS
285C (blue).
Wikipedia, for lack of any official
standard, gives the colors of Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [g9b12] in
various color values:
Green: Pantone 355, RGB 0-150-57, Hex: #009639
Yellow: Pantone 109, RGB 255-209-0, Hex: #FFD100
White: Pantone Safe,
RGB 255-255-255, Hex: #FFFFFF
Red: Pantone 32, RGB 239-51-64, Hex:
#EF3340
Blue: Pantone 293, RGB 0-61-165, Hex: #003DA5
Flag Color Codes gives the following color
values:
Yellow: Hex. #FFD100, RGB 255-209-0, CMYK 0-5-100-0, Pantone 109,
RAL 2007
White: Hex. #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone
N/A, RAL N/A
Red: Hex. #EF3340, RGB 239-51-64, CMYK 0-90-76-0, Pantone
032, RAL 3024
Blue: Hex. #003DA5, RGB 0-61-165, CMYK 100-76-0-9, Pantone
293, RAL 5005
Green: Hex. #009739, RGB 0-151-57, CMYK 93-0-100-0, Pantone
355, RAL 6037
Zoltan Horvath, 9 May 2024
The colours of the horizontal stripes stand for the four islands: yellow
(Mohéli), white (Mayotte),
red (Anjouan) and blue (Grand
Comore).
Jaume Ollé, 25 Nov 2001
green triangle for the federation (and for Islam?), whose flags have been almost always mainly green and from which the current islands autonomy evolved (?).
António Martins, 26 Mar 2006
Page
about the flag and its
image,
at the Mwzinet / Comoros Online web site.
reported by António Martins, 01 Apr 2003
Political situation in Comoros has been troubled for years, with
more or less official support by France and
South Africa to different parties, repeated
intrusions of Bob Denard’s mercenaries, assassinations
of presidents, expulsion of the mercenaries by French troops…
Mayotte
is still French, but also claimed by the Comoros Republic. The islands of
Anjouan and Moheli
are in quasi-permanent state of secession from the
Comoros Republic, sometimes aspiring to be re-attached to France.
Historically,
the Comoros islands have been amongst the rare states to
volunteer for to become a French protectorate because these micro-states were
permanently threatened by Omani pirates (whose
capital was at that time at Zanzibar) and
the neighbouring powerful Malgachian kingdoms
(not to speak about local rivalries and succession conflicts).
Anjouan was a sultanate and
Moheli a kingdom.
Ivan Sache, 12 Sep 1999
The republic of Comoros was overhauled, getting a new name, flag,
and constitution as part of a deal to end a three-year secessionist push by
one of its three islands, a senior government official
said. The reconciliation deal was signed Saturday by military ruler Col. Azali
Assoumane and separatist leader Lt. Col. Said Abeid Abderemanein, the secretary
general in the president’s office said Tuesday. The secretary general,
Mahmoud Saleh, said the overhaul will take place within the next 18 months.
"A lot is to change in Comoros, including symbols of the state such as the
name of the republic, the national flag, and constitution", Saleh said.
"But our internationally recognized borders and unity are to remain
intact".
Phil Nelson, 07 Sep 2000,
quoting from The Bergen Record
A political deal was signed between Comorian military leader Assoumani
and Anjouan separatist leader Abeid. Some confederacy called a "new Comorian
entity" will be created.
Jan Zrzavy, 28 Aug 2000
The new name is: UDZIMA WA KOMORI /
L’UNION DES COMORES
Chrystian Kretowicz, 01 Feb 2002
According to the BBC, about 75% of votes cast were in favour of the new constitution
of Comoros, with a 70% turnout in the Sunday referendum.
Jan Zrzavy, 26 Dec 2001
On 23 December
2001, a new Constitution
was adopted, which prescribed a new flag, which was hoisted on
31 December
2001.
Ivan Sache, 20 Apr 2002
Art. 1
- The Comorian Union is a Republic, made of the autonomous islands of Mwali (Mohéli), Maoré (Mayotte), Ndzuwani (Anjouan), N’gazidja (Grande Comore).
- The national emblem is yellow, white, red, blue, with a crescent towards the right and four white stars aligned from an extremity of the crescent to the other, in a green isosceles triangle.
translated by Jòan-Francés Blanc, 23 Jan 2002
Art.1
- Union of Comoros States - Comorian Union is a republic, composed by Mayotte, Anjouan, Grande Comore and Mohéli.
- The national emblem is Red, Yellow, Blue, White, four stars and a green crescent.
translated from the French version by Jerôme Sterkers, 23 Jan 2002
Kan. 1
- Wo Udzima wa Komori wo Jamhuri ya tsanganya ye zisiwa za Mwali, Ndzuwani, Ngazija na Maore ikao ngizona uhuru wa ndani.
- Ye beramu ya twayifa nyikudu dzindzanu bile njeu nyora 4 na mwezi wa uheya wa mrututu.
quoted by Jerôme Sterkers, 23 Jan 2002
Art.1
- L’Union des Etats des Comores - Union des Comores est une République, composée des îles-Etats de Mwali, Ndzuani, N’gazidja et Maoré.
- L’emblème national est [Rouge, jaune, bleu, blanc, 4 étoiles, un croissant vert]
quoted by Jerôme Sterkers, 23 Jan 2002
image by Ivan Sache, 20 Apr 2002/p>
image by Pascal Vagnat, 25 Nov 2001
image by António Martins, 02 Mar 2003
This flag is available
here
(image).
Joàn-Francés Blanc, 23 Jan 2002
And
here,
labelled "Drapeau provisoire qui n’a pas été
retenu" (the provisional flag which was not kept).
António Martins, 02 Mar 2003
.gif)
image by Zoltan Horvath, 9 May 2024
The National Emblem of Comoros was adopted on June 25, 1977 - It is green and
white having a sun and crescent bearing four five-pointed stars in its centre,
with "Union des Comores" above and what I assume is the same in Arabic script
below. The border is composed of two olive branches with the National Motto in
French Unite Solidarite Developpment which translates as Unity, Solidarity and
Development at their base.
Christopher Southworth, 27 Sep 2024
This image shows the current status ("Union des Comores" since 2001) but was
only changed in 2016. The previous status (République fédérale islamique des
Comores) dates from 1978. If the date of this emblem is 1977, it means that
there
probably existed another previous short-lived version showing only "République
des Comores".
Jean-Marc Merklin, 27 Sep 2024
1978.gif)
image by Jean-Marc Merklin, 27 Sep 2024
You can see the 1978 version on this page:
https://www.hubert-herald.nl/Comores.htm. It confirms that these are olive
garlands. The 4 stars symbolize the 4 islands of the archipelago, including
Mayotte.
Jean-Marc Merklin, 27 Sep 2024
1975-.gif)
1975v.gif)
1975v-af.gif)
image by Jean-Marc Merklin, 27 Sep 2024
This website (link1)
also shows another version with white stars and moon. I have never seen a photo
where that seal (any version of it) was shown without "Affaires Étrangères"
(Foreign Affairs) on the lower part.
At independence in 1975, the Comoros
were called "Etat comorien" (Comorian State), but I wonder if this name was not
used from the early 1960s under French Rule. The "Comoros Archipelago" (their
actual name since 1946) benefitted from an autonomous status different from the
other French overseas territories. If so, it means that the seal may be older, keeping in mind that the
first flag dates from 1963. In 1977, it began to be called "République
comorienne" (Comorian Republic) for one year, but I never saw any special
seal or arms for it. This site (link 2)
has a photo of a passport with both the 1975 and 1978 emblems and seems to
confirm the use of the seal until 1978. But it also shows that the emblem used
on passports (link3 &
link 4) didn't include a seal.
Link1:
http://eh.lenin.ru/english/4af/comoros/cmr-hist2.htm
Link2:
https://www.orbspatrianostra.com
Link3:
https://www.orbspatrianostra.com
Link4:
https://www.orbspatrianostra.com
Jean-Marc Merklin, 27 Sep 2024
