Central African Republic Flags

The current flag of the Central African Republic was officially adopted on the day this country claimed its independence, December 1, 1958. This flag consists of four horizontal stripes of equal size, which are (from top to bottom): blue, white, green, and yellow. A single, red stripe runs vertically down the middle of the flag - its width is identical to the horizontal stripes. Additionally, one yellow 5-pointed star is located in the top left corner, covering only a portion of the blue stripe.

Each color and symbol on the flag of the Central African Republic has a special meaning. For example, the blue and white stripes were incorporated into the design in order to recognize France, which was the colonial power here between 1903 and 1960. The green and yellow stripes are said to represent Africa as a whole. The red vertical stripe is positioned so that it appears to unite both sides of the flag, which is representative of the relationship between Europe and Africa. Finally, the yellow star symbolizes the independence of this country.

The current flag of the Central African Republic was designed by Barthélemy Boganda, who served as the first Prime Minister of the newly independent country. He is also responsible for renaming the country from Ubangi-Shari to its current name. During his presentation of the flag design, Boganda stressed the importance of unity between France and the new country.

Since its independence, the Central African Republic has had a few proposed changes to the flag design. None of these, however, were permanent and the country has restored the original flag each time. In 1976, President Bokassa converted to Islam and wanted to change the flag to incorporate the Islamic symbol of a star and crescent-shaped moon. This new design also removed the blue, white, and red colors. Just a few months later, the Central African Republic became the Central African Empire and the flag was again changed to an all green background with a yellow eagle and 20-pointed star at its center. This design was used between 1976 and 1979.