Adopted in 1996; The Ethiopian flag has three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red, with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands. Green represents hope and the fertility of the land, yellow symbolizes justice and harmony, while red stands for sacrifice and heroism in the defense of the land. The blue of the disk symbolizes peace and the pentagram represents the unity and equality of the nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia.