Equatorial Guinea's official flag features three stripes of white, green, and red with a blue isosceles triangle on the mast side. The Coat of Arms of Equatorial Guinea is depicted in the centre of the flag in the white stripe. This flag was officially adopted in August of 1979 but greatly resembles the flags used from 1968-1973 and 1973-1979.

The green stripe is a symbol of the agriculture, jungles, and natural resources of Equatorial Guinea and the blue stripe is a symbol of the Gulf of Guinea. White symbolizes peace and unity and the red, like many other ex-colonial nations, is representative of the blood shed for independence. The coat of arms features a silk-cotton tree on a silver shield, with an arc of six six-pointed yellow stars above the shield. This symbolizes the five islands of the country as well as the mainland.

The details surrounding the design of the flag are extremely vague. According to local newspapers, parliament only agreed on the design four days before independence. There were many variations produced during this time in different parts of the country due to the confusion surrounding the correct design.

The current flag is very similar to two previous flags of the country, used from 1968-1973 and 1973-1979. Both of these flags use the same stripe configuration and blue triangle as the current flag. The 1968 flag features no centre insignia while the 1973 flag features a different coat of arms, consisting of a chicken, several tools, and a sword. While the country was ruled by Spain (1778-1968) it used a Spanish inspired red and yellow flag with a black eagle coat of arms.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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