The flag of Niger consists of a horizontal triband of orange, white, and green with a orange circle in the center. The orange band represents the Sahara Desert, the white band represents purity, and the green band represents hope and fertility. The orange circle represents the sun and independence. This flag was adopted on November 23rd, 1959, a year before the country gained its independence. The traditional proportion of this flag is 6:7, however, the common dimensions of 2:3 and 3:5 are also used.