The flag was created by Somali scholar Mohammed Awale Liban after he had been selected by the Somali labour trade union to come up with a design in preparation for independence. It was officially adopted on October 12, 1954.
The five-pointed white Star of Unity in its center represents the Somali ethnic group found in Djibouti, the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland territories ( present-day Somalia).
The flag’s light blue backdrop was originally influenced by the flag of the United Nations, in recognition of the UN’s role in Somalia’s transition to independence during the trusteeship period.
The five-pointed white Star of Unity in its center represents the Somali ethnic group found in Djibouti, the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland territories ( present-day Somalia).
The flag’s light blue backdrop was originally influenced by the flag of the United Nations, in recognition of the UN’s role in Somalia’s transition to independence during the trusteeship period.
