Laos

The flag of Laos is a horizontal tricolour of (from the top of the flag to the bottom of the flag) red, blue (double height) and red. At the centre of the flag sits a white circle. The flag is based on a design dating back to 1945 used under a short lived Lao Issara government before it was made use of by the Pathet Lao and officially adopted as the flag of Laos when it became a socialist state on 2 December 1975.

The flag of Laos was designed by Maha Sila Viravong who describes the meaning of the flag as follows:

• The flag's white circle stands for the unity of the people of Laos.
• The flag's red stripes stand for the blood shed by the people of Laos in their struggle for freedom and independence from the French.
• The flag's blue stripe symbolises the Mekong River.

The flag's ratio is 2:3.