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Flag of Burkina Faso

Africa

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Quick Facts

Capital
Ouagadougou
Flag adopted
1984
Population
24,070,553
Area
272,967 km²
Languages
French
Currency
West African CFA franc (Fr) — XOF
Demonym
Burkinabe
Government
presidential republic
Subregion
Western Africa
Driving side
Right
Timezones
UTC
Independence
1960

Religions

  • Muslim 63.8%
  • Roman Catholic 20.1%
  • Animist 9%
  • Protestant 6.2%
  • None 0.7%
  • Other 0.2%

About This Flag

Two equal horizontal bands of red on top and green on the bottom, with a yellow five-pointed star centered at the junction of the bands. The red represents the revolutionary struggle to free the country from neocolonial domination, while the green symbolizes the abundance of natural and agricultural resources.

The yellow star represents the guiding light of the revolution and mineral wealth, particularly gold. The flag was adopted on August 4, 1984, when President Thomas Sankara renamed the country from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, meaning 'Land of Upright People.' The previous Upper Volta flag — black, white, and red horizontal stripes — was completely replaced to signal a decisive break from the colonial past.

What the colors & design mean

Red symbolizes the popular revolution and the fight against imperialism. Green represents the country's agricultural abundance and natural wealth. The yellow star serves as the guiding light of the revolution and also represents the country's mineral resources, especially gold deposits.

red green yellow

Pattern: Horizontal Stripes

Bordering countries (6)

🇧🇯 Benin 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 🇬🇭 Ghana 🇲🇱 Mali 🇳🇪 Niger 🇹🇬 Togo

Fun Facts

  • The name Burkina Faso combines words from the country's two major languages: 'Burkina' means 'upright people' in Moore and 'Faso' means 'fatherland' in Dyula.
  • Thomas Sankara, who introduced the flag, is often called 'Africa's Che Guevara' and implemented sweeping social reforms including mass vaccination campaigns and women's rights initiatives during his brief four-year rule.
  • The previous flag of Upper Volta used the same colors as Germany's flag (black, red, and gold in horizontal bands), leading to occasional confusion at international events.
  • Burkina Faso hosts FESPACO, Africa's largest and most prestigious film festival, held biennially in Ouagadougou since 1969.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

🇧🇫 Lithuania 🇧🇫 Bolivia 🇧🇫 Benin 🇧🇫 Cameroon 🇧🇫 Guinea

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