What Do The Colors And Symbols Of The Flag Of Cabo Verde Mean?

Cabo Verde adopted its national flag on September 22, 1992, which was also the date when the island nation separated from the union with the nation of Guinea-Bissau. Pedro Gregorio Lopes is credited with the designing of the flag. The flag is recognized in the Constitution as a national symbol, but the constitution does not provide for the official dimensions of flag’s width and length. Therefore the popular proportion of 3:2 for the flag’s length and width respectively, has de facto recognition. The flag’s design closely resembles the flag of the European Union and that of the autonomous region of Azores’ flag.

Description Of The Flag Of Cabo Verde

The flag is shaped as a horizontal rectangle whose length-width dimensions are 3:2. The flag is made up of five horizontal stripes with the colors blue, white, red, white, and blue from top to bottom.There are ten equally-spaced yellow stars forming a circle in the middle of the red band and is positioned adjacent to the flag’s hoist. The width of the top blue stripe is equivalent to half of that of the whole flag, while the width of the bottom blue band is a quarter of the flag’s width. The two white bands, as well as the middle red band, are all of equal width, which is a twelfth of the width of the whole flag. Ironically, “Verde” translates to “green,” a color the county’s flag does not bear. The incorporation of the color would be a misrepresentation of the country which has little tree-cover. Instead, the flag’s dominant color is blue as a representation of the sea, which the nation is most dependent.

Symbolism Of The Flag Of Cabo Verde

The two blue bands which are prominent on Cabo Verde’s flag are said to symbolize the sea surrounding the island nation. The blue bands are also believed to symbolize the blue skies experienced on Cabo Verde for most of the year. The circle made of ten yellow stars represents the ten main islands that makeup Cabo Verde. The center white and red horizontal bands symbolize the pathway to national development. The red and white bands also stand for the virtues of peace and hard work. The flag’s design, particularly the white and blue bands and the ten stars, was inspired by the United States’ flag, a country that Cabo Verde has strong cultural ties with.

History Of The Flag Of Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde once used the national flag of Portugal while it was recognized as an overseas province of the European country. The Portuguese government had plans of adopting a flag in its overseas province, and its design was inspired by the flag of Portugal was proposed. However, such plans never materialized and Cabo Verde became an independent state in 1975, adopted a new national flag. This new flag’s design mirrored that of Guinea-Bissau, a West-African nation that had played an instrumental role in Cabo Verde struggle for independence. The flag featured three bands with Pan-African colors of green, red and gold, where the red band ran vertically on the flag’s hoist while the gold and green bands ran horizontally. A black star propped by two ears of corns featured on the flag’s hoist edge. The flag was used in Cabo Verde between 1975 and 1992.