Flags With a Hexagram: The Six-Pointed Star on Flags

Israel is the only sovereign national flag in the world today that features a hexagram — the six-pointed Star of David. A hexagram has six points formed by two overlapping triangles, distinct from the five-pointed pentagram found on most starred flags. Historical hexagram flags include a former flag of colonial Nigeria and old Moroccan seals.

Hexagram vs Pentagram

Before listing the flags, it helps to clear up a common confusion. A hexagram is a six-pointed star made from two interlocking equilateral triangles — the shape universally known as the Star of David or Magen David. A pentagram, by contrast, is a five-pointed star drawn with a single continuous line, and it is the star that appears on the vast majority of national flags, from the United States to China to Turkey. So when people say a flag has a star, they almost always mean a pentagram. Genuine hexagram flags are extremely rare.

This distinction matters because Morocco is often mistakenly cited as a hexagram flag. In fact Morocco's modern flag carries a green pentagram (a five-pointed star), not a hexagram — though older Moroccan seals did use the six-pointed form. Getting the geometry right is the whole point of this guide.

Hexagram Flags Through History

The Only Sovereign Hexagram Flag Today

• Israel: A blue Star of David centred between two horizontal blue stripes on a white field. Adopted in 1948, the design was based on the flag of the Zionist movement, itself inspired by the tallit, the traditional Jewish prayer shawl. Israel is the only independent nation whose flag carries a hexagram.

Historical and Former Uses

• Nigeria (colonial era): The badge of colonial Nigeria featured a six-pointed star, and a red hexagram appeared on the flag of British Nigeria before independence in 1960. The modern Nigerian flag — green-white-green vertical bands — has no star at all.
• Morocco (historical seal): Earlier Moroccan flags and seals used a six-pointed Seal of Solomon. The country later switched to the five-pointed green pentagram it uses today, so Morocco's current flag is not a hexagram flag.
• Croatia (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia): Some historical Central European heraldry incorporated six-pointed stars, showing the shape had uses well beyond any single tradition.

What the Hexagram Means

On the Israeli flag the hexagram is the Star of David, one of the most recognised symbols of Jewish identity and, since 1948, of the Jewish state. Historically the six-pointed star had a far broader life than many assume: it appeared in Islamic, Christian, and Hindu art as a decorative and mystical motif long before it became specifically associated with Judaism in the medieval period. The two interlocking triangles have been read as the union of opposites — heaven and earth, fire and water — in several traditions. This wide heritage is why the hexagram turns up in old seals and colonial badges around the world, even though only Israel flies it as a sovereign national emblem today.

Questions and Answers

Is Israel the only country with a hexagram on its flag?

Yes. Israel is the only sovereign nation today whose flag features a hexagram, the six-pointed Star of David. Adopted in 1948, its design draws on the Zionist movement's flag and the striped Jewish prayer shawl, the tallit.

Does Morocco's flag have a hexagram?

No. Morocco's current flag has a five-pointed green pentagram, not a six-pointed hexagram. Older Moroccan seals did use a six-pointed Seal of Solomon, which is the source of the common mix-up, but the modern flag is a pentagram.

What is the difference between a hexagram and a pentagram?

A hexagram has six points and is formed by two overlapping triangles, like the Star of David. A pentagram has five points and is drawn as a single continuous outline. Nearly all starred national flags use the five-pointed pentagram.