Talk:Flag of Somalia

Designer of flag
Can i just say that the Somali flag designer is until now, disputable. There is no credible source that dates back to the 54s when it was made that mentions who actually made it. For instance, several somali sources state that Islow Omar (who was a politician at the time) designed the flag whilst one questional german source states mohamed liban. — hello the creator of the wikipedia page greets you
 * Who created the flag of Somalia is most certainly not disputed: Mohammed Awale Liban did (c.f. ). He was personally selected by the Somali labour trade union to do so . That Somali-language article you linked to is also unverifiable, and a Google search of "Islow Omar" turns up a handful of hits for some fellow in Norway . Middayexpress (talk) 23:29, 7 February 2011 (UTC)
 * Out of curiosity, what exactly does that Somali language article say (the portions that presumably mention the flag and "Islow Omar")? Middayexpress (talk) 23:31, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

The creation of the Flag was designated to the Consiglio Teretoriale, the UN terretorial council which was headed by Aden Abdullah Osman, later to become Somalia's president, not the trade union since their existence began in 1955. Like i said, find me a source that dates back to the 50s or even 60s when the flag was designed that notes Mohamed Liban. Also, he was not a scholar, if you search his name on Google books, he use to work as a scribe in the Presidents residence.

To add to that, how could it be the case that the Flag's blue background was in support of the U.N. considering that the U.N. were the same group who returned the Italians back to Somalia in 1950, an action greatly opposed by the SYL, the leading power who take credit for the Flag and unity.

What do you mean the source in unverifiable? Just because you cannot understand it you think its not verified? The source is by Mohamed Ingriisi, a credited writer from Belgium who has a page somewhere in Wikipedia, the portion about the flag mentions Islow Omar as the individual who composed the colours and suggested the star in response to the claims of Awale Liban. He was a politician of the past and very few Somali writers remember his case.

I have noticed you seem to accept any source as long as it reads english, a policy that promotes ignorance and degrades Wikipedia. When you learn to differentiate truth from deception, only then will you become reliable and accurate. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Abshir1000 (talk • contribs) 21:21, 9 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Please settle down and remember to be civil. Wikipedia has a specific policy referred to as WP:VER wherein one must actually be able to verify the stated claims. This has to do with the simple fact that this is English Wikipedia, not Somali Wikipedia. That Somali-language article you keep adding simply cannot be verified:


 * "'Because this is the English Wikipedia, English-language sources are preferred over non-English ones, provided that English sources of equal quality and relevance are available. When quoting a source in a different language, provide both the original-language text and an English translation in the text or a footnote. Translations published by reliable sources are preferred over translations by Wikipedians, but translations by Wikipedians are preferred over machine translations. When citing such a source without quoting it, the original and its translation should be provided if requested by other editors: this can be added to a footnote or the talk page.'"


 * Wikipedia also does not require sources to be period-specific to be usable (refer to WP:RS). They just have to be reliable, and I've already linked you to two separate sources that explicitly identify Mohammed Awale Liban as the creator of that flag (c.f ). Again, not one English source mentions this "Islow Omar" fellow . Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I also recognize the name of that author of the Somali language article, one "Maxamed Xaaji (Ingiriis)". As you correctly indicate, he used to have an article on Wikipedia, but it was deleted because he apparently wrote it himself (contact User:Gyrofrog for the details). In other words, the author has a presence on Wikipedia. I sincerely hope that person isn't you because that would make this whole affair not just one of unverifiable sourcing, but also of conflict of interest. With that said, I have removed that Somali language article. If you wish to re-add the "Islow Omar" allusions, you'll first have to try and find a quality English language source (or a professional translation into English) that does so, although I very much doubt anyone other than M.A. Liban designed the flag. Best regards, Middayexpress (talk) 23:20, 9 February 2011 (UTC)

Im not suprised at your ignorance. The Somali Flag is one of the single most spoken about treasuries of the Somali republic and you think a source by a Spanish female writer (what does a Spaniard know about Somalia? She clearly derived her statement from the equally innacurate German source that doesnt even know that the trade unions were formed after the flag) is enough to dismiss everything. In many Somali radio shows and gatherings, the history of the flag never involved Awale Liban because outside your ignorant circle of knowledge, its widely known the flag is disputed and a comitee had designated it. Anyway, i will soon file a complaint at Wiki's racist policy of only allowing English sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Abshir1000 (talk • contribs) 00:34, 10 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Using terms like "your ignorance" constitutes a personal attack as I have already indicated at User talk:Abshir1000. Middayexpress is correct regarding Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. I can understand why this would be frustrating, although you are free to try and convince other Wikipedians to change these policies and guidelines.  For what it's worth, I believe the author mentioned earlier is Mohamed Haji (Ingiriis).  The article was indeed deleted (via WP:PROD), but WP:COI was just one of its issues (and, by itself, is not a criterion for deletion - as I recall). -- Gyrofrog  (talk) 17:30, 10 February 2011 (UTC)

Blue color
Forgive my ignorance, but I noticed that the flag of Somalia pictured on the CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/so-lgflag.gif) is of a different shade of blue than the one depicted here... does anyone know which shade is the right shade? --The Listener 21:41, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Both designs are correct, though the Wikipedia one is slightly more close to the original official version. The official Somali design is light blue, officially azure, which the Wikipedia one is. The CIA one is a faded light blue. What distinguishes the flags is the slightly faded part. Soomaali (Aug. 23/07) —The preceding  signed but undated.

I think the correct colour scheme for the flag is 171/202/233 RGB, light sky blue. Amina Adam (talk) 22:08, 25 June 2022 (UTC)

Bonnie Blue, Vietnam & Belgian Congo flags
I recently tried to add the flag of the Belgian Congo/Congo Free state to the see also category as it is quite similar (though obviously not identical to) the Somali flag. It's not really a big deal whether or not its on the page, but I just wanted to point out that I am aware its not the same flag. Cheers, Otto1943 (talk) 23:41, 4 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it's similar in design but not identical, much like the flag of Vietnam. On the other hand, the Bonnie Blue Flag is identical in all respects except for its darker blue background. Ultimately, despite varying degrees of similarities, all of these foreign flags are of course unrelated to the flag of Somalia/Somali flag (an ethnic flag). Regards, Middayexpress (talk) 14:48, 5 September 2014 (UTC)

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Changed last sentence of first paragraph
The last sentence of the first paragraph used to be a run-on sentence; I've fixed it. I've also added a citation to the Somali Embassy in Belgium and re-worded the list of regions to match how the Embassy describes them. Finally, I removed the bit at the end about partitioning lands to neighboring colonies, as I think that's irrelevant.

Novemellow (talk) 02:06, 28 November 2021 (UTC)


 * I've removed the list of regions from the first paragraph because it's already in the Characteristics section. Novemellow (talk) 16:24, 28 November 2021 (UTC)

Is it an ethnic flag or not?
In the first paragraph and in the beginning of "Characteristics", we mention that it is an ethnic flag. This agrees with the source that I found (Somali Embassy in Belgium). But, later in "Characteristics", we say: "However, the flag does not represent all the Somali regions anymore, going from an ethnic flag to the national flag of Somalia only." Where is the source for this claim? It seems to contradict what we have. Novemellow (talk) 16:32, 28 November 2021 (UTC)


 * @Novemellow

TL;DR you're completely right, that sentence shouldn't be on the article. read the rest of my comment at your pleasure.

I think the reason that someone added this is because of Somaliland. Now, I am a supporter of Somaliland but this partisan content should not be a part of Wikipedia.

The Somalia flag is definitely an ethnic flag, and Somalia does claim all Somalis even those that are born in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. I think it would be better if someone added a link to the Somaliland flag and explained that one of the five regions completely rejects the politcal union of Somalis. The black star on the Somaliland flag represents the death of the greater Somalia dream. 2.98.220.80 (talk) 00:22, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

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