Mali vs. Guinea: Flag Comparison
Mali and Guinea share the exact same 2:3 vertical tricolor geometry and Pan-African green, yellow, and red colors, but in reversed hoist-to-fly order.
How to tell Mali and Guinea apart at a glance
- Check the stripe closest to the flagpole (hoist): Mali is Green–Gold–Red, whereas Guinea is Red–Yellow–Green.
- Use the alphabetical mnemonic: Mali (M) starts with Green; Guinea (G) starts with Red.
- In Guinea's constitution, Red comes first to match the first word of the national motto ('Travail, Justice, Solidarité').
Side-by-side structural comparison
| Attribute | Mali | Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 2:3 (2:3) | 2:3 (2:3) |
| Layout & orientation | vertical tricolor | vertical tricolor |
| Band / color sequence | green · yellow · red | red · yellow · green |
| Official color specs | Green (Vert) (Pantone 354 C (protocol approximation)); Gold / Yellow (Or) (Pantone 116 C (protocol approximation)); Red (Rouge) (Pantone 186 C (protocol approximation)) | Red (Rouge) (Pantone 186 C (protocol approximation)); Yellow (Jaune) (Pantone 116 C (protocol approximation)); Green (Vert) (Pantone 340 C (protocol approximation)) |
| Official adoption | 1961-03-01 | 1958-11-10 |
| Region | Western Africa | Western Africa |
| Visual similarity score | 92/100 (Layout 35/35 · Colors 17/25 · Symbols 20/20 · Ratio 10/10 · Geometry 10/10) | |
Why these two flags look alike
Both West African republics gained independence from France within two years of each other—Guinea in October 1958 and Mali in 1960—and both combined the vertical three-band geometry of the French tricolor with the green, gold, and red Pan-African palette popularized by Ethiopia and Ghana.
When Mali first adopted its flag in April 1959 as part of the Mali Federation with Senegal, it was immediately distinguishable from Guinea's 1958 flag not only by its reversed stripe order (green-gold-red vs. red-yellow-green) but also by a black stylized human figure (the kanaga) in the center of the gold band. After Mali removed the kanaga emblem on 1 March 1961, the two flags became exact mirror images.
Like Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Guinea can appear identical when hanging limp on a vertical pole or when viewed from the reverse side if the observer cannot see which edge is attached to the hoist.
Explore each flag in detail
Read the complete statutory specification, color table, and historical timeline on the Flag of Mali page or the Flag of Guinea page, or return to all flag comparisons.
Sources
- World Factbook: Mali and Guinea Flag Descriptions
- Complete Flags of the World — West Africa section