Equatorial Guinea Flag

How to identify it

Green, white and red horizontal bands with a blue triangle next to the flagpole, and a coat of arms on the white showing a silk-cotton tree beneath six stars.

Design and construction

Proportions

2:3

Adoption and legal status

The tricolour without arms was raised at independence from Spain on 12 October 1968; the coat of arms was changed under dictator Francisco Macías Nguema and restored to its original form on 21 August 1979 after his overthrow.

Construction

Three equal horizontal bands of green, white and red, with a blue isosceles triangle based at the hoist and the coat of arms centred on the white band.

Officially documented meaning

Green represents vegetation and natural resources, white represents peace, red represents the blood shed for independence, and blue represents the sea linking the mainland to the islands. The coat of arms shows a silk-cotton tree, under which local tradition holds that the first treaty between Spain and a local ruler was signed, above six six-pointed stars representing the mainland region and the country's five islands, beneath the motto "Unidad, Paz, Justicia" (Unity, Peace, Justice).

Sources