The national flag of Burkina Faso () is formed by two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green, with a yellow five-pointed star resting in the center. The flag was adopted on 4 August 1984. The flag uses the Pan-African colours of Ethiopia, reflecting both a break with the country's colonial past and its unity with other African ex-colonies. The red is also said to symbolize the revolution and the green the abundance of agricultural and natural riches. The yellow star placed over the red and green stripes represents the guiding light of the revolution. The flag was adopted following the coup of 1983 which brought Thomas Sankara to power.
History The original flag of Upper Volta, adopted at independence, contained three horizontal stripes of black, white, and red. These colours represented the three major tributaries of the Volta River, which flows south through the country: the Black Volta, the White Volta and the Red Volta. It is virtually identical to the tricolor flag used by the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The flag was changed when Upper Volta became Burkina Faso on 4 August 1984.
Construction sheet
Colour scheme The exact color shades are not defined by law, but are listed as "green", "red" and "yellow-gold" in the constitution. Approximations are listed below: Red Yellow Green Pantone 179c 115c 7739c CMYK 0-82-81-6 2-17-91-0 100-0-54-38 RGB 239-43-45 252-209-22 0-158-73 Hexadecimal #EF2B2D #FCD116 #009E49
Historical flags Flag Years of use Ratio Government Description1904–19192:3As part of Upper Senegal and NigerThe French tricolor was used as the official flag of French Upper Volta.1919–1932French Upper Volta1932–1947As part of French Sudan, the Ivory Coast, and the Colony of Niger1947–1958French Upper Volta1958–1960Republic of Upper Volta1960–19842:3The national flag of the Republic of Upper Volta was introduced upon gaining independence from France on 5 August 1960. It consisted of three equal horizontal bands of black, white, and red. It was almost identical to the flag of the German Empire (with the only difference being a slightly duller shade of red).1984–Present2:3Burkina FasoThe current flag, consisting of two horizontal bands of red and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center, was adopted on 4 August 1984.
Other flags
Gallery
See also Coat of arms of Burkina Faso Pan-African colours
References
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