Flag of Honduras

What the flag means

The usual explanation is that the blue bands are the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and the white band is the land between them. The five stars stand for the five states of the former Federal Republic of Central America and the hope that they will unite again.

History

Honduras kept the blue-white-blue flag of the Central American federation after the union broke up in 1838. A decree of 16 February 1866, under President José María Medina, added five stars, and a 1949 decree under Juan Manuel Gálvez fixed their positions and specified turquoise. Navy blue was used for most of the next 70 years. Xiomara Castro's government switched to turquoise in 2022, and Congress and the incoming government went back to navy blue in January 2026.

Earlier flags of Honduras

1. 1839–1866Plain blue, white and blue horizontal triband without stars
2. 1866–1949Same triband with five stars, in varying arrangements
3. 2022–2026Current design in turquoise, used under President Xiomara Castro

Flags that look like this one

HondurasNicaraguaEl SalvadorGuatemala

Blue, white, blue from the old Central American federation. Honduras has five blue stars. Nicaragua and El Salvador have different coats of arms in the centre. Guatemala's stripes are vertical and light blue.

Flags of Honduras's neighbours

• Guatemala
• El Salvador
• Nicaragua