Three equal vertical bands of green, gold and red — Pan-African colours. Green for fertility and hope; gold for purity and the country's mineral wealth; red for the blood shed for independence. Adopted on March 1, 1961 after independence. The original 1959 flag had a black human figure (kanaga) on the gold band, removed in 1961 after Islamic religious objections. Practise the Mali flag in the Flagzio Africa flag quiz across all eight game modes.