The national flag of Algeria consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged in the center with a red star and crescent. The white colour represents peace; the green, Islam; and the red, the blood of the martyrs of the Algerian war of independence (1954 to 1962). The flag was adopted on July 3, 1962. A similar version was used by the Algerian government in exile from 1958 to 1962. The flag's design is inspired from the standard of Emir Abdel Kadir in the 19th century which consisted of two equal vertical bands, green and white.