Country profile: Tunisia

The Tunisian flag is one of the oldest in the Arab world. After the Battle of Navarino on 20 October 1827, in which the Tunisian fleet, fighting alongside the Ottoman fleet, was destroyed, Hussein II Bey decided to give Tunisia an ensign distinct from those of the other fleets of the Ottoman Empire.

The red flag with a white disc bearing a red crescent and star was adopted at that time; several sources date its official adoption to 1831. Tunisia celebrates its anniversary every 20 October.

It remained the country's flag under the French protectorate (1881-1956) and then of independent Tunisia. An organic law of 30 June 1999 set out its exact proportions and design for the first time.

The elements of the Tunisian flag are generally interpreted as follows:

• Red: the blood of the martyrs and resistance to oppression; it is also the colour of Ottoman banners.
• White disc: peace, or the sun.
• Crescent and star: traditional symbols of Islam, inherited from the Ottoman Empire, evoking the unity of all Muslims. The five points of the star are often associated with the five pillars of Islam.

The Tunisian flag closely resembles that of Turkey, with which it shares the red field, the crescent and the star, a sign of Tunisia's past as part of the Ottoman Empire. The central white disc sets it apart.

The Battle of Navarino, which led to the creation of the flag, pitted the Ottoman and Egyptian fleet against the British, French and Russian squadrons, which had come to support Greek independence.

The 1999 law even specifies the exact shade of the flag's red, defined by a colour chart reference.