Ivory Coast Flag

Ivory Coast has a basic tricolor flag consisting of three equal vertical bands of orange, white, and green. The orange band is on the hoist side while the white is in the middle and the green band on the fly side. The flag is modeled after the French tricolor flag, its former colonial power, with the only difference being the colors on the hoist and fly side. Just like the French flag, the proportion of the Ivorian flag is 2:3. Interestingly, the flag of Ivory is almost similar to the Irish tricolor flag with the only difference being the color order. Meaning, if the Ivorian flag is hoisted on the wrong side, it becomes the Irish flag. The Ivorian flag was adopted on December 3, 1959.

The orange band on the hoist side of the flag represents the land, the savannah which characterizes the northern part of Ivory Coast, and fertility. Like on most flags, the white color in the middle symbolizes the peace and stability the country hopes to enjoy at all times. The green band on the fly side symbolizes the hope of the Ivorian people and also the forest which covers the Southern parts of the country.

The flag of Ivory Coast was designed after the referendum of the French Fifth Republic in 1958. During the referendum, the French colonies including the Ivory Coast had a choice to either become independent or remain with the French Republic. The Ivorian people chose to go independent and created a flag that was adopted in December 1959.

The orange-white-green flag is the first and the only flag of the Ivory Coast. Prior to colonization, the country did not have a national flag. However, during the colonization of Ivory Coast by the French, the flag hoisted was mainly the tricolor French flag. The flag, from which the current Ivorian flag is modeled, consists of three equal bands of blue, white, and red. The flag was also used in most of the French colonies across Africa. The blue and red colors on the French flag are associated with Virgin Mary who is considered the patroness of France while the white color was added to the flag to “nationalize” it.