Flag of Gabon
Africa
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Libreville
- Flag adopted
- 1960
- Population
- 2,469,296
- Area
- 267,668 km²
- Languages
- French
- Currency
- Central African CFA franc (Fr) — XAF
- Demonym
- Gabonese
- Government
- presidential republic
- Subregion
- Middle Africa
- Driving side
- Right
- Timezones
- UTC+01:00
- Independence
- 1960
Religions
- Protestant 50.4%
- Roman Catholic 29.8%
- Muslim 10.8%
- None 7%
- traditional/animist 1.1%
- Other 0.9%
About This Flag
Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (middle), and blue (bottom). Unlike many African tricolors, Gabon's flag contains no emblem, coat of arms, or additional symbols.
The clean tricolor design reflects the country's geography: forests, the equator, and the Atlantic Ocean. Adopted on August 9, 1960, upon independence from France, the flag replaced a previous version that incorporated the French tricolor in the canton.
The simplicity of the design is intentional, emphasizing the country's natural identity over political symbolism.
What the colors & design mean
Green represents Gabon's vast equatorial rainforests, which cover roughly 85% of the country. Yellow symbolizes the equator, which passes directly through Gabon, and also represents the sun. Blue stands for the Atlantic Ocean along the country's western coast.
Pattern: Horizontal Stripes
Bordering countries (3)
Fun Facts
- Gabon has one of the highest proportions of forest cover of any country on Earth, which is directly reflected in the dominant green band.
- Albert Schweitzer built his famous hospital in Lambarene, Gabon, which became a symbol of humanitarian medicine in Africa.
- Gabon is home to surfing hippos in Loango National Park, where hippopotamuses have been filmed riding ocean waves.
- Despite its small population of around 2 million, Gabon has one of the highest GDPs per capita in sub-Saharan Africa due to oil revenues.
Similar looking flags
These flags share similar colors and patterns:
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