River in France which rises in the plateau of Langres and joins the Seine at Charenton near Paris; length 525 km/326 mi. It gives its name to the départements of Marne, Haute-Marne, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-de-Marne, and to two battles of World War I (see Marne, Battles of the).
Red, white, and blue recall the French tricolour. Red, yellow, and green are the pan-African colours. Red represents the common blood of mankind which links African and European nations. Effective date: 1 December 1958.