Flag of Qatar

Infobox flag
Name = Qatar

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Use = 111111
Proportion = 11:28
Adoption = July 9, 1971
Design = A asymmetric vertical bicolor of white and purple separated by a serrated line of 9 points.
Type = NationalThe flag of Qatar ( _ar. علم قطر) has a proportion of 11:28. It is Purple with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side.

The meaning of Qatar’s flag is:
* The white color reflects the internationally recognized symbol of peace.
* The Maroon color symbolizes the blood shed during the several wars Qatar had undergone, particularly in the second half of the 19th century.
* The nine-point serrated line indicates that Qatar is the 9th member of the "reconciled Emirates" of the Persian Gulf in the wake of concluding the Qatari-British treaty in 1916.

The flag was officially adopted on July 9, 1971, although a nearly identical flag (only differing in proportion) had been used since 1949. It is very similar to the flag of the neighbouring country of Bahrain, which has fewer points, a 3:5 proportion, and a red colour instead of purple. A common explanation of the differences between the two, is simply to distinguish them. [cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/qa.html|title=Flag of Qatar|accessdate=2007-10-08] A popular but fanciful tale referring to the purple color and the similarity to the red Bahrain flag, is that Purple is what becomes of red fading in the Gulf sun. [cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/qa.html#ori|title=Flag of Qatar|accessdate=2008-02-07] . The legend goes that Qatar's flag used to be red, and that a new type of dye was used for the original flags. However after being left in the sun, the colour changed to purple, which was then regarded to be a more beautiful colour (by coincidence). That is also why this specific shade of purple is called "Qatar Red".

References