Africa · BF / BFA
Flag of Burkina Faso
The flag of Burkina Faso is divided into two equal horizontal bands, red above green, with a yellow five-pointed star in the center. It was adopted in 1984 under Thomas Sankara, when the country dropped the name Upper Volta.
What the flag of Burkina Faso looks like
The Burkina Faso flag is a simple bicolor. The upper half is red and the lower half is green, and the two bands are exactly equal. In the middle, centered on the line where they meet, is a single yellow star with five points. The flag has a width-to-height ratio of 3:2.
It has no coat of arms, text or other detail, which makes it a very simple flag. The red, green and yellow are the pan-African colors. The flag is also shown in small formats such as the Burkina Faso flag emoji.
Burkina Faso flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#009E49RGB
0, 158, 73CMYK
100, 0, 54, 38HEX
#EF2B2DRGB
239, 43, 45CMYK
0, 82, 81, 6Burkina Faso flag meaning and symbolism
The colors are explained as follows:
- Red is said to stand for the revolution.
- Green stands for the abundance of agricultural and natural riches.
- Yellow is the color of the star, which is described as the guiding light of the revolution.
The flag was adopted after the 1983 coup that brought Sankara to power, and its pan-African colors mark a break with the colonial past and a link with other former African colonies.
History of the Burkina Faso flag
The area was part of French West Africa. A French colony called Upper Volta was created in the early 20th century, split up in 1932 and recreated in 1947. The territory became self-governing in 1958 and fully independent on 5 August 1960 as the Republic of Upper Volta.
The original flag of Upper Volta, adopted at independence, was a horizontal tricolor of black, white and red. The three colors stood for the three branches of the Volta river that gave the country its name: the Black Volta, the White Volta and the Red Volta. It closely resembled the tricolor of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918.
On 4 August 1983, Captain Thomas Sankara took power in a coup. His government launched a program of social and economic reform and, a year later, on 4 August 1984, renamed the country Burkina Faso, meaning roughly “land of upright people” in the Mooré and Dioula languages. A new flag and anthem were introduced at the same time. Sankara was killed in a coup in October 1987, but his successors kept the flag, and it has remained unchanged through later changes of government, including the military takeovers of 2022.
Similar flags in West Africa
Neighboring countries also use pan-African colors, though in different layouts. Ghana has a red, gold and green tricolor with a black star, and Mali has vertical green, yellow and red stripes. Burkina Faso's flag is the only one of these with two bands and a single yellow star. See all flags of Africa.
Burkina Faso flag facts
| Country | Burkina Faso |
|---|---|
| Flag adopted | August 4, 1984 |
| Proportions | 2:3 |
| Colors | #009E49, #EF2B2D |
| Symbols | five-pointed star |
| Flag emoji | 🇧🇫 |
| Country code | BF, BFA (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Ouagadougou |
| Continent | Africa |
| Population | 23,025,776 |
| Area | 274,200 km² |
| Currency | West African CFA franc |
| National anthem | Une Seule Nuit |
Burkina Faso flag: frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of the Burkina Faso flag?
Red represents the revolution, green represents agriculture and the land's wealth, and the yellow star is called the guiding light of the revolution. The colors are also the pan-African colors.
What did Burkina Faso used to be called?
It was called Upper Volta (Haute-Volta in French) until 4 August 1984, when it was renamed Burkina Faso. The old name came from the Volta river and its three branches.
What does Burkina Faso mean in English?
The name is usually translated as “land of upright (or honest) people.” Burkina comes from the Mooré language and Faso from Dioula.
Is Burkina Faso still a French colony?
No. Burkina Faso, then called Upper Volta, became independent from France on 5 August 1960. It is a sovereign republic.
What did the flag look like before 1984?
Until 1984 the flag of Upper Volta was a horizontal tricolor of black, white and red. The colors represent the Black, White and Red Volta rivers.
Which flags are similar to the Burkina Faso flag?
Several African flags use the same Pan-African colors. Ghana has red, gold and green stripes with a black star, and Mali has vertical green, yellow and red stripes. The Burkina Faso flag is the one with two horizontal bands, red above green, and a single yellow star.
