Flag of Guinea-Bissau
A red vertical band at the hoist bearing a black five-pointed star, with two equal horizontal bands of yellow over green on the rest of the flag.
What the flag means
The flag combines the pan-African colours with the black star of Africa, which also stands for the leadership of the PAIGC. Red is usually given as the blood shed in the independence war, yellow as the savanna of the north and green as the forests of the south.
History
The PAIGC, the party that fought Portuguese rule in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, adopted its flag in 1961, modelled on those of Guinea and Ghana. When a National Assembly appointed by the party declared independence at Madina do Boé on 24 September 1973, it took the party flag without the initials PAIGC below the star. The 1974 constitution defined the three bands as equal in area.
Cape Verde's first flag, used from 1975 to 1992, was also based on the PAIGC flag, as the party then led both countries.
Flags of Guinea-Bissau's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Guinea-Bissau
- Flags of the World: Guinea-Bissau
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
