Guinea-Bissau’s national flag has a vertical red band at the hoist containing a black star, with yellow and green horizontal bands filling the fly.

Meaning and origins

The design closely follows the flag of the PAIGC, the movement that led the struggle for independence from Portugal. Red represents sacrifice, yellow the sun and harvest, green the forests and agriculture, and the black star African unity and freedom.

History

The flag was adopted when independence was declared in 1973 and retained after international recognition the following year.

• Adopted: 1973
• Colors: red, yellow, green and black
• Symbol: black star