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Niger

image by Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024

Dimensions of the flag
Colour Specifications
Meaning of the flag
Flag and emblem in the Constitution

Dimensions of the flag

All the sources I consulted quickly give the ratio as 6:7 or 6:7~. Sometimes 2:3 flags are seen, but I would guess these are a product of "ignorance" or international standardisation. Is the 6:7 proscribed in some legislation? Also is there any regulation to the size of the disk?
Željko Heimer, 4 July 2002

As far as I am aware (and aside from the Constitutional references given on links below) there has been no legislation since the original law which established the flag. 'Actes du Government de la Republique du Niger No, 59-1' of 23 November 1959 (published in 'Journal Officiel de la Republique du Niger No. 1' of 1 January 1960 - of which I have a copy) gives neither a ratio for the flag, nor a size for the disk.

Although often illustrated in 6:7 there is no apparent official reason why this should be so, and it could be a case of vexilollogists copying each other? It is worth remarking that the official Government website of the Niger shows the flag at 2:3.
Christopher Southworth, 1 February 2003

I believe Christopher has formulated an interesting hypothesis. I can only add that Pedersen 1970 shows the flag of Niger with proportions 7:8 and states "adopted 1959".
Santiago Dotor, 5 February 2003

Regarding the dimensions of flag, I haven’t found any legal document about a 6:7 flag ratio. I don’t know who stated this ratio first, but other sources could copy from that. This ratio maybe comes from French military flags, but it seems that flag of 2:3 ratio used generally, but even 1:2 ratio also can be seen. Actually, I haven’t seen the national flag with 6:7 ratio in use (or rarely used). So, my recommendation is to illustrate a flag of 2:3 ratio.

Images of flag:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drapeau_du_Niger#/media/Fichier:Niger,_flags.jpg
https://tum.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Drapeau_Niger_ambassade_Paris.jpg
https://media.ouest-france.fr/v1/pictures
The national flag of Niger can be seen https://www.youtube.com/watch from 1:51:38.
Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024

Colour Specifications

The constitution only describes the flag: https://adsdatabase.ohchr.org/IssueLibrary/NIGER_Constitution.pdf
"L'emblème national est le drapeau tricolore composé de trois (3) bandes horizontales, rectangulaires et égales dont les couleurs sont disposées de haut en bas dans l'ordre suivant : orange, blanc et vert. La bande blanche médiane porte en son milieu un disque de couleur orange."

"The national emblem is the tricolor flag composed of three (3) horizontal, rectangular and equal bands whose colors are arranged from top to bottom in the following order: orange, white and green. The middle white band has an orange disk in its middle."

I haven’t found any legal document about its color specification.
Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be. For Niger: PMS 150 yellow, 355 green. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees anti-clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 11 October 2012

There is no official source that gives exact colors of the national flag; these are all approximate colors from these documented sources.

The Album des Pavillons 1990 [pay98] (Corr. No. 29.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Orange: Pantone 166c, CMYK 0-70-100-0
Green: Pantone 3615c, CMYK 80-0-100-5

The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone colors: PMS150 (orange). and PMS355 (green).

The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No. 5.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Orange: Pantone 166c, CMYK 0-70-100-0
Green: Pantone 361c, CMYK 69-0-100-0

The Album des Pavillons 2023 specifies the colors of the flags in three color systems:
Orange: Pantone 166c, CMYK 3-78-100-0, RGB 229-83-0
Green: Pantone 361c, CMYK 78-0-100-0, RGB 18-173-43

Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone system: PMS 151C (orange), PMS White, and PMS 356C (green).

Wikipedia illustrates the flag, but doesn’t give color values. The Italian page gives RGB colors: gives the following color values:
Orange: R:224 G:82 B:6, White: R:255 G:255 B:255, and Green: R:13 G:176 B:43.

Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Orange: Hex # E05206, RGB 224-82-6, CMYK 0-30-71-0, Pantone 150, RAL 2004
White: Hex #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone & RAL n/a
Green: Hex # 0DB02B, RGB 13-176-43, CMYK 93-0-100-0, Pantone 355, RAL 6038

Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024

Meaning of the flag

The flag of Niger is orange over white over green, with an orange disc on the central white stripe, symbolizing the sun. The proportions for the flag are 2:3 although other variants are apparently to be seen. The orange stands the Sahara desert, which borders Niger to the north. Green stands for the grassy plains of the south and west and for the River Niger which sustains them. It also stands for fraternity and hope. White generally symbolizes purity and hope. In the Nigerois flag it additionally stands for the savannah region of the country.

Similar symbolism appears in the flag of the neighbouring Ivory Coast, which flies a flag of orange-white-green vertical stripes. Both Niger and Ivory Coast were French possessions and were originally closely linked economically.
Stuart Notholt, 4 June 1996

According to the little book Flags by Carol Shaw (probably [shw94], ed.), the flag of Niger, like those of several other former French colonies, is modeled on the French tricolor (even though the stripes are horizontal and not vertical).
Bruce Tindall, 4 June 1996

Flag and Emblem in the Constitution

image by Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024

According to Pascal Vagnat & Jos Poels' "Constitutions - What they tell us about national flags and coat of arms", the Constitution of the Third Republic of Niger, adopted on 22 May 1996, says:

Title I: The State and Sovereignty
Article 1
[...]
The national emblem is a tricolor flag composed of three (3) equal rectangular horizontal bands, which, from top to bottom, are orange, white and green. An orange disc shall be in the centre of the middle band. [...] The motto of the Republic is "Fraternity - Work - Progress". The State seal, whose diameter shall be forty millimeters, shall be composed of a coat of arms containing a sun bordered on the right by a spear bearing two Tuareg swords radiating upward from its bottom, and at the left by three stalks of grain, one being upright and two radiating from its bottom, accompanied at its point by the head of a zebu, all in gold. The following inscription shall be in relief:
- at the top: "Republic of Niger"
- at the bottom: "Fraternity - Work - Progress".
The [ceremonial] arms of the Republic are composed of Sinople coat of arms with a blazing sun of gold, bordered at the right by a spear bearing two Tuareg swords radiating upward from its bottom, and, at left, by three stalks of grain, one being upright and two radiating from its bottom, accompanied at its point by the head of a zebu, all in gold. The coat of arms lies against a trophy of four flags of the Republic of Niger. The inscription "Republic of Niger" is placed below.

The wording of Article 1 is nearly identical to that in the former Constitution of January 1993. A new Constitution was adopted on 21 July 1999 of which no details were known at the time of writing.

The next release of PV & JP's book will probably include details of the 1999 Constitution, which is now available on the website of the Niger government. A word file giving the full text (in French) of the Constitution can be downloaded at www.niger-gouv.org/docs/textes/Constitution.doc. The new Constitution was promulgated by Decree #99-320/PCRN on 9 August 1999. Article 1 is identical to that attached above, and Article 2 is also related to the national symbols.

Article 2
The emblems of the Republic, as defined by Article 1, shall be used only by public authorities. Every illegal use for private purpose, every desecration of those symbols shall be punished by law.

Therefore, a strict interpretation of Article 2 would mean that citizens of Niger are not allowed to use the national flag, which has a status of State flag only.

The national emblem is shown on several pages of the Government's website and described on www.niger-gouv.org/armoiries.htm. I am attaching the emblem from the website, and you'll notice that the shield of arms does not match the description in the Constitution: it is Gold with the charges Sable (black), whereas it should be Sinople (green) with charges Gold. Smith (1975) and DK Pocket Book show the 'correct' version, so that I can think about three hypotheses:
- The official website shows a wrong national emblem (!)
- The national emblem was changed but the official website shows an obsolete version of the Constitution (!)
- The national emblem was changed but the relevant article in the Constitution was not updated (!)

Stuart Notholt noted above that similar symbolism appears in the flag of the neighbouring Ivory Coast, which flies a flag of orange-white-green vertical stripes. Both Niger and Ivory Coast were French possessions and were originally closely linked economically.

According to DK Pocket Book, Niger was in 1958 in alliance with Ivory Coast, Chad and Dahomey (now Benin) to form a Sahel-Benin Union which rapidly vanished. The same source says that on the arms the weapons represent military achievement, the buffalo's head (zebu in the Constitution!) pastoralism and the maize (millet in the Constitution!) cobs agriculture.

I have not found anything explaining the unusual 6:7 proportion of the national flag. DK Pocket book retained 2:3 proportion only. On the national emblem, the four flags look more 2:3 than 6:7 but this does not constitute an evidence.

Ivan Sache, 1 November 2002

Images of current emblem:
https://embassyofniger.org/le-niger-2/
https://cnsp.ne/
Zoltan Horvath, 8 August 2024