🇬🇼

Flag of Guinea-Bissau

Africa

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Quick Facts

Capital
Bissau
Flag adopted
1973
Population
1,781,308
Area
36,125 km²
Languages
Portuguese, Upper Guinea Creole
Currency
West African CFA franc (Fr) — XOF
Demonym
Guinea-Bissauan
Government
semi-presidential republic
Subregion
Western Africa
Driving side
Right
Timezones
UTC
Independence
1973

Religions

  • Muslim 46.1%
  • folk religions 30.6%
  • Christian 18.9%
  • Other 4.4%

About This Flag

Two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green (bottom) with a vertical red band on the hoist side bearing a black five-pointed star at its center. The design combines the Pan-African colors with a layout inspired by the flag of Ghana.

Adopted on September 24, 1973, when Guinea-Bissau unilaterally declared independence from Portugal during the liberation war led by the PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde). The flag is based on the PAIGC party flag, reflecting the movement's central role in achieving independence.

What the colors & design mean

Red represents the blood shed during the independence struggle against Portuguese colonialism. Yellow symbolizes the African sun and the savanna landscape. Green stands for the country's forests and agricultural hope. The black star is a Pan-African symbol of unity and freedom.

red yellow green black

Pattern: Vertical Stripes

Bordering countries (2)

🇬🇳 Guinea 🇸🇳 Senegal

Fun Facts

  • Guinea-Bissau's flag was adopted a full year before Portugal officially recognized its independence in 1974, following the Carnation Revolution in Lisbon.
  • The flag closely resembles the flag of Cape Verde because both countries were originally meant to unify under the PAIGC, a plan abandoned after a 1980 coup.
  • Amilcar Cabral, the PAIGC leader who designed the liberation movement's flag, was assassinated in 1973, just months before independence was declared.
  • Guinea-Bissau's Bijagos Archipelago is one of the most biodiverse marine areas in West Africa and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

🇬🇼 Ghana 🇬🇼 São Tomé and Príncipe 🇬🇼 Benin 🇬🇼 Cameroon 🇬🇼 Guinea

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