The Flag of Mongolianconsists of three equal bands, of alternating red, blue and red, with the "soyombo" national symbol centering the first red band in yellow. The central blue band is described as the eternal blue sky, while the side red bands represent the ability of Mongolia to thrive in its harsh environment. The soyombo is a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representations of fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the Taijitu or (Yin-Yang) symbol. The current flag was adopted on February 12, 1992, after the transition of Mongolia to a democracy.