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flag history

Flag of Indonesia: Design, Meaning and History

Indonesia’s Sang Merah Putih is red above white, with a statutory 3:2 length-to-width ratio. Here’s what its colors mean and how the flag’s history is recorded.

By ThatPainter Team 3 min read
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Indonesia’s national flag, officially named Sang Merah Putih, is a rectangle with red above white. By law, its width is two-thirds of its length, so a flag measuring 300 cm long is 200 cm wide. The design is simple; its constitutional name, independence-era history and rules for different display settings add important context.

What does the flag of Indonesia look like?

The Indonesian flag has two equal horizontal bands: red on top and white beneath it. Article 35 of the 1945 Constitution names it: “Bendera Negara Indonesia ialah Sang Merah Putih,” meaning “The national flag of Indonesia is Sang Merah Putih.” The official constitutional text uses that exact Indonesian wording.

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Law No. 24 of 2009 defines the flag as rectangular and sets its width at two-thirds of its length. In the familiar length-to-width form, that is a 3:2 ratio. The official BPK legal record for Law No. 24 of 2009 records the act as in force; it also notes that parts of the law’s criminal provisions were repealed by Law No. 1 of 2023.

What do the red and white colors mean?

A Ministry of Education and Culture cultural-history account gives the conventional interpretation: red represents bravery and white purity. It also describes older local historical and food-culture associations with the colors. These are reported interpretations and cultural context, not a single exclusive explanation established by the law. The ministry’s account of Sang Merah Putih discusses those associations.

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What is the history of the Indonesian flag?

Government historical accounts say the flag was made in 1944, before independence, and raised after the proclamation of independence on 17 August 1945. The Ministry of Education and Culture account identifies Fatmawati as its maker and says it was made from fine cotton. It names Latief Hendraningrat and Suhud as the flag raisers, at Jalan Pegangsaan Timur 56 in Jakarta, now Jalan Proklamasi. The Secretariat of State likewise places the raising at Soekarno’s residence after the proclamation. These details are the accounts given by the ministry and the Secretariat of State.

Why are two measurements reported for the historic flag?

The ministry’s account describes the original flag as 300 cm long by 200 cm wide. It separately reports that the flag was remeasured on 13 November 2014 at 276 × 199 cm. Those figures refer to different measurements and dates; they should not be treated as interchangeable dimensions for a modern flag.

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What happened to the original?

The ministry account says the flag was moved during the revolution, taken apart at the seams for concealment in 1948, sewn together again, and returned to Soekarno in 1949. It says the original was then preserved and a duplicate used in later ceremonies. The sources cited here do not establish a sufficiently consistent, current account of its custodian and exact location to state where it is now.

What is the correct ratio and size for an Indonesian flag?

The statutory proportion is 3:2 when expressed as length to width. The law also specifies dimensions for particular uses, rather than one mandatory size for every flag. Examples in Law No. 24 of 2009 include:

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Use named in the law Length × width
Building 300 × 200 cm
Table 15 × 10 cm

The dimensions above follow the law’s stated format of length by width; the same measurements are sometimes written width first as 200 × 300 cm for a building and 10 × 15 cm for a table. The statute also sets dimensions for other contexts, including offices, vehicles, ships, trains and aircraft. Check the applicable statutory use rather than assuming that one size covers them all. See the BPK record of Law No. 24 of 2009 for the full rules.

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How to identify a contemporary display flag

A flag for a classroom, event or other display is a modern item, not the preserved historic original. When choosing or checking one, compare its construction and dimensions with the intended use, and confirm the design is a rectangle with equal red and white bands and the correct 3:2 length-to-width proportion. A product description should make its dimensions clear; the statute’s named-use measurements are the relevant reference when a particular setting is covered by law.

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