Flag of the Republic of the Congo

What the flag of the Republic of the Congo looks like

The flag of the Republic of the Congo is divided diagonally. A wide yellow band runs from the bottom of the hoist side to the top of the fly side. Above the band is a green triangle at the upper hoist, and below it a red triangle at the lower fly. The proportions are 2:3, and the three colors fill the flag in roughly similar shares.

There is no emblem. The three colors are the Pan-African colors of green, yellow and red, which are used in the flags of many African countries such as Ghana, Senegal and Ethiopia, but in this flag they are arranged on a diagonal, which is unusual and makes it easy to recognize. The country is in Central Africa, with Brazzaville as its capital. You can see more at flags of Africa.

Congo flag meaning and colors

The colors have the usual Pan-African associations, with some specific readings for the Congo:

• Green symbolizes the agriculture and forests of the Congo.
• Yellow represents the friendship and nobility of the Congolese people.
• Red has no officially explained meaning.

The colors and shapes of the flag are mentioned in Article 5 of the constitution.

History of the Congo flag

The area was a French colony, and France did not allow it to have its own distinctive flag. On 28 November 1958 it became a self-governing republic within the French Community, and the green, yellow and red diagonal flag was officially adopted on 15 September 1959. The country became fully independent on 15 August 1960 and kept this flag.

After a coup in 1968, the new government proclaimed the People's Republic of the Congo, the first Marxist-Leninist state in Africa. It replaced the diagonal flag with a red flag carrying the new coat of arms, a gold star with a hammer and hoe inside a palm wreath, in the upper hoist corner. That flag was used until 1991, when the People's Republic collapsed and democratic elections followed. The National Conference, which oversaw the transition, reinstated the original flag on 10 June 1991. The country has used it since, under the name Republic of the Congo.

Why are there two Congo flags?

Two countries in Central Africa have Congo in their name, and both are named after the Congo River. The Republic of the Congo is on the river's west bank and was a French colony. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is much larger, lies to the east and south, and was a Belgian colony. Their capitals, Brazzaville and Kinshasa, face each other across the river.

The flags are not alike. The DR Congo flag has a sky-blue field with a red diagonal stripe edged in yellow and a yellow star in the upper hoist. It has changed several times: a similar design was used from 1963, the country was renamed Zaire in 1971 with a green flag, and the present flag was adopted in 2006. The Republic of the Congo never changed its name to Zaire. Check the flag of the DR Congo for the details.