Cape Verde Flag

How to identify it

A blue field with a white-red-white band across the lower half and a ring of ten yellow stars set off-centre toward the flagpole side.

Design and construction

Proportions

2:3 (band heights in a ratio of 6:1:1:1:3)

Adoption and legal status

Adopted 22 September 1992, after Cape Verde moved to multi-party democracy in 1991, replacing the red-yellow-green flag shared in design with Guinea-Bissau since both had used the flag of the joint independence movement PAIGC.

Construction

Five unequal horizontal bands, blue-white-red-white-blue from top to bottom, with a circle of ten yellow five-pointed stars centred on the red band, offset toward the hoist.

Officially documented meaning

The ten stars represent the ten main islands of Cape Verde; the design was chosen to mark the country's political break from the pan-African colours it had shared with Guinea-Bissau after their planned political union collapsed in 1980.

Sources