Flag of Cambodia
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The flag in its present form was first adopted in 1948 and readopted on 24 September 1993 following the 1993 Cambodian Constituent Assembly election and the restoration of the Cambodian monarchy. It is one of only four national flags in the world to feature a building, alongside those of Portugal, San Marino, and Spain.
Description
The flag of Cambodia features two bands of blue on the top and bottom, a double width red band in the middle, and a depiction of the Angkor Wat in white outlined in black centred on the red band. The flag in its present form was originally adopted in 1948 and readopted in 1993, after the Constituent Assembly election in 1993 and restoration of the Cambodian monarchy.
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Symbolism
Royal standard
The Royal Standard of the King of Cambodia (Khmer: ទង់ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ, Tóng Preăh Môhaksâtr; "King's Flag") is the personal flag of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni. It is also considered among the National Symbols of Cambodia.
History
Since around 1875, the Cambodian flag has featured a depiction of Angkor Wat in the centre. The current flag, with blue border stripes and a red central one (ratio 1:2:1 blue-red-blue) was adopted in 1948 after WWII, during a period of reforms and unrest in Cambodia due to French colonial rule. It was used until 9 October 1970, when a new flag was introduced for Lon Nol's Khmer Republic that lasted until the takeover of the Khmer Rouge in 1975. The subsequent state of Democratic Kampuchea (DK), which existed from 1975 to 1979, used a red flag with a three-towered Angkor Wat design rendered in yellow beginning in 1976. The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) was established in 1979, after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.
The Kampuchean National United Front for National Salvation (FUNSK) revived the flag adopted by the Khmer Issarak in the days of anti-French resistance for the new state. This flag had the same colour pattern as the DK flag, but with a yellow five-towered Angkor Wat silhouette. When the PRK renamed itself as "State of Cambodia" (SOC) in 1989, the flag's lower half became blue. The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) flag was used during the 1992–1993 transitional period along with the flag of the SOC within Cambodia.
In 1993, the 1948 Cambodian flag was readopted. The current Cambodian flag, together with the flags of Portugal, San Marino and Spain, are the only four state flags to feature a building. Red and blue are traditionally the colours of Cambodia.
The flag used today is the same as that established in 1948, although the older flag is sometimes said to have used a red outline for Angkor Wat while the current flag uses black specifically. Since that time, five other intervening designs have been used. Almost all made use of the image of the temple of Angkor Wat in one form or another. The monarchy was restored in September 1993, the 1948 flag having been readopted in June of that year.