The Sang Saka Merah-Putih ('Sacred Red and White') is one of the world's simplest national flags — two equal horizontal bands of red and white. It was first raised on 17 August 1945.
The design
The Flag of Indonesia is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 2:3, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses Red, White, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
| White | White | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Source | Official flag law | The country’s own statute or constitutional appendix specifies exact shades and proportions. |
Symbolism & heraldry
Red represents courage; white represents purity. The colours derive from the 13th-century Majapahit Empire's banners.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Indonesia — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1945. Earlier banners flown by Indonesia reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Indonesia should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Indonesia | — |
| Continent | Asia | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | ID | 2-letter code |
| ISO alpha-3 | IDN | 3-letter code |
| Adopted | 1945 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 2:3 | height : length |
| Colours | Red, White | — |
| Designer | — | |
| Emoji | 🇮🇩 | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
Indonesia's flag is identical to Monaco's — only the proportions differ. Monaco's was adopted in 1881 but Indonesia argues theirs has 13th-century roots.
