vertically divided white-red national flag with a George Cross in the upper hoist corner. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 2 to 3.

In the late 11th century Roger I, the count of Sicily, supposedly granted the simple white-and-red coat of arms (arms, coat of) of Malta on which its flag is based. That legend is unsubstantiated, but it is known that the Knights of Malta (Hospitallers), who ruled for centuries, used a red flag with a white cross (either the normal variety or the special Maltese Cross). After Britain came to control Malta in the early 19th century, the Union Jack (United Kingdom, flag of the) predominated.

On December 28, 1943, the unofficial white-red flag of Malta was augmented by the addition of a blue canton bearing a representation of the George Cross, a military decoration granted by King George VI of the United Kingdom for the heroic defense of Malta by its inhabitants during World War II. When Malta became independent on September 21, 1964, the blue canton was omitted, and the George Cross, represented in two shades of gray, was given a red fimbriation (narrow border). A white-bordered red flag with a central white Maltese Cross is displayed by privately owned vessels registered in Malta.