The national flag of Algeria (Arabic: علم الجزائر) consists of two equal vertical stripes, green and white, and in the centre bears a red star and crescent. The flag came into order on July 3, 1962. A similar version existed during the exiled government of Algeria from 1958 to 1962. The white color is for peace, while the green is for Islam and the red is for the blood of the martyrs of the Algerian war of independence (1954 to 1962).