The Flag of Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Colours and History

The flag of Cambodia shows a building: a white image of the temple of Angkor Wat on a red band between two blue bands. The design dates from 1948, but between 1970 and 1993 Cambodia went through a series of very different flags as governments rose and fell, before the 1948 flag returned with the restored monarchy.

The design

Cambodia's constitution states that the national flag is defined in its Annex 1, and Flags of the World notes that the constitution defines the flag by a picture rather than by a written description. [1] [2]

A written specification was given by the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Jakarta in a note to the ASEAN Secretariat dated 10 November 2015: the flag has three horizontal stripes; its width is two-thirds of its length; the two blue areas are of equal size; the red area is double the size of each blue area; and a white image in the middle of the red area represents the temple of Angkor Wat with three towers. [2]

Black or red outline?

The temple on today's flag is outlined in black. A French defence attaché confirmed in 1995 that the stylised architecture of Angkor is presented with black lines. The 1948-1970 flag is usually shown with the temple outlined in red, and a Flags of the World contributor found that the versions of the constitution he consulted also show a red outline. [2] [3]

Colours

The flags manual for the London 2012 Olympic Games, whose designs were approved by each National Olympic Committee, gave the colours as Pantone 293 blue and Pantone 032 red, with black. [2] Flags of the World also reports CMYK values published on a page of Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: blue 100-58-0-57 and red 0-100-100-0. [2]

What the colours mean

Before 1947 the Cambodian flag already used blue, red and white, arranged differently: blue for the royalty, red for the nation and white for religion (first Brahmanism, later Buddhism). Today the flag is said to reflect the trilogy "Nation, Religion, King", which is the motto of the kingdom under Article 4 of the constitution. [1] [2]

The 2015 embassy note to ASEAN gave a different, official reading: red represents courage and bravery, blue represents territory and white represents purity. [2]

History

Under French protection (about 1863-1948)

The first Cambodian flag probably came into use around 1863, the year of the first treaty of French protection. It was a red field with a blue border and a white Angkor Wat in the centre, and was used, with variations, until 1948. [3]

The 1948 flag

On 20 October 1948 (Flags of the World's main Cambodia page gives 29 October) the present design was adopted: a horizontal blue-red-blue triband in the proportions 1:2:1, with a white Angkor Wat in the centre. [2] [3] It remained the flag until Norodom Sihanouk was overthrown in 1970, and continued to be used in exile and by forces loyal to him. [3]

The Khmer Republic (1970-1975)

Lon Nol's Khmer Republic introduced a new flag on 9 October 1970: a blue field with a red canton containing a white three-towered Angkor Wat, and three white stars in the upper fly. It was used until April 1975. [3]

Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979)

After the Khmer Rouge took power in April 1975, the 1948 flag appeared again at United Nations headquarters until January 1976. That month the new constitution of Democratic Kampuchea established a red flag with a stylised three-towered yellow Angkor Wat, called a "monument" rather than Angkor Wat. Because the Khmer Rouge government kept international recognition after it was deposed in January 1979, this flag continued to be used abroad, including at the UN, until 1991. [3]

The People's Republic and the State of Cambodia (1979-1993)

The People's Republic of Kampuchea, set up after the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge, used a red flag with a five-towered yellow Angkor Wat until 1989; it was not recognised at the UN. On 1 May 1989, with a new constitution and the new name "State of Cambodia", the flag became a bicolour of red over blue with a yellow five-towered Angkor Wat. During the UN transitional administration (UNTAC) a UN-blue flag with a white map of Cambodia was used, alongside the State of Cambodia flag. [3]

Restoration (1993)

The 1948 flag was re-established in Cambodia on 30 June 1993, and the monarchy was restored on 24 September 1993. [2] [3]

The royal standard

The King's personal flag is blue with the royal emblem in gold. Under a March 2018 order from the Prime Minister, the royal flag must be displayed together with the national flag and the international Buddhist flag. [2]

Fly the Cambodia flag

Midland Flags sells the Cambodia flag in a range of sizes.

Sources

1. Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia (as amended to 2008), Articles 4 and 6, English translation. Constitute Project, "Cambodia 2008".
2. Flags of the World, "Cambodia", last modified 11 October 2025.
3. Flags of the World, "Cambodian Flag History", last modified 11 October 2025.