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Situated in the Mediterranean Sea midway between Italy and the North African coast, the island of Malta gained independence from Great Britain in 1964, ending 150 years of British rule.
Malta adopted its current national flag at independence on the 21st of September 1964.
The flag remained unchanged when the Republic of Malta was proclaimed on the 13th of December 1974. |
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The vertical white and red field of the flag has its official origins in the badge of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798.
However, the white and red bicolour has also been attributed, without any historical evidence, to Count Roger I, who seized the island from the Muslims in 1090.
In the canton of the flag is a grey George Cross medal. King George VI of Great Britain awarded the George Cross, a military award for gallantry, to Malta in 1942, in recognition of Maltese heroism during the early years of World War II. |
