Any of various marine fishes belonging to the cod family, found in northern European, African, and American waters. They have silvery elongated bodies and grow up to 1 m/3 ft in length. They have two dorsal fins and one long anal fin. The silver hake (M. bilinearis) is an important food fish. (Genera Merluccius and Urophycis, family Gadidae.)
Orange symbolizes the Sahara Desert. The orange disc represents the sun. Green recalls the country's forests. White stands for the River Niger. Effective date: 23 November 1959.