Flag of Dominican Republic
North America
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Santo Domingo
- Flag adopted
- 1913
- Population
- 10,771,504
- Area
- 48,671 km²
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Dominican peso ($) — DOP
- Demonym
- Dominican
- Government
- presidential republic
- Subregion
- Caribbean
- Driving side
- Right
- Timezones
- UTC-04:00
- Independence
- 1844
Religions
- Evangelical 50.2%
- Roman Catholic 30.1%
- None 18.5%
- Unspecified 1.2%
About This Flag
The flag of the Dominican Republic features a centered white cross that extends to the edges, dividing the flag into four rectangles — blue on the upper-left and lower-right, and red on the upper-right and lower-left. The national coat of arms is centered on the white cross.
The blue represents liberty, the red symbolizes the blood of heroes and fire, and the white cross represents salvation and the sacrifice of the people. The coat of arms features a Bible open to the Gospel of John and a cross, flanked by olive and palm branches.
The flag was adopted on November 6, 1844, making it one of the oldest flags in the Americas. It is the only national flag in the world to prominently feature a Bible.
What the colors & design mean
Blue represents liberty and the sky. Red symbolizes the blood shed by independence heroes and the fire of liberation. The white cross represents the sacrifice of the people and their faith. The coat of arms with its open Bible affirms the nation's Christian foundations.
Pattern: Cross Design
Bordering countries (1)
Fun Facts
- The Dominican Republic's flag is the only national flag in the world that features an open Bible — it shows the Gospel of John 8:32, which reads 'And the truth shall make you free.'
- The arrangement of colors is unusual — the blue and red are quartered rather than striped, with blue at top-left and bottom-right, so that no two adjacent rectangles share the same color.
- The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and the two countries' flags were originally based on the same Haitian tricolor before the Dominican Republic modified its design.
- Santo Domingo, the capital, was the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, founded in 1496 by the brother of Christopher Columbus.
Similar looking flags
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🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda · 🇧🇸 Bahamas · 🇧🇧 Barbados · 🇧🇿 Belize · 🇨🇦 Canada · 🇨🇷 Costa Rica · 🇨🇺 Cuba · 🇩🇲 Dominica
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