Flag of Equatorial Guinea
Green, white and red horizontal stripes with a blue triangle at the pole and the coat of arms in the centre: a ceiba (silk-cotton) tree on a silver shield, six stars above it and the motto “Unidad, Paz, Justicia” below. The country’s embassy in Venezuela says the green is the vegetation and forests, the white the peace the people want, the red the blood of the martyrs of independence and the blue the country’s waters, and that the six stars are its territories, the mainland and the islands.
How to read it
Article 4 of the constitution of 1991, as revised in 2012, says the national flag is green, white and red, in three horizontal stripes of equal size, with a blue triangle at the end nearest the pole, and that the seal of the Republic is in the centre; the seal is the one established by law, and the motto of the Republic is Unity, Peace and Justice. The constitution sets no proportions or shades. Larousse says the flag was drawn up in 1968 and made official ten years later.
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The coat of arms, piece by piece
The embassy describes it this way. The shield is a silver field with a ceiba tree. The six six-pointed stars above it stand for the territories of Equatorial Guinea: the mainland region, the islands of Bioko, Annobón, Corisco and Elobey Grande, the islet of Elobey Chico, and the smaller islets around them. Below the shield, on a ribbon, is the national motto, “Unidad, Paz, Justicia” (Unity, Peace, Justice). Larousse says the same of the stars: five islands and the mainland.
Two readings of the colours
The embassy and Larousse agree on green and blue and differ on white. The embassy gives green for the vegetation and forest wealth, white for the peace the people want, red for the blood of the martyrs who gave their lives for independence, and blue for the country’s territorial waters. Larousse gives blue for the sea, green for the vegetation and white for the love of freedom.
Read next
- Next in African flagsFlag of GabonThree equal horizontal stripes of green, yellow and blue, as Gabon’s constitution describes it. The constitution gives no meanings; Larousse explains the green as the forest that covers the country, the yellow as the sun and the blue as the sea along its western edge.
- The same shape in Asian flagsFlag of JordanJordan’s flag has three equal stripes of black, white and green and a red triangle at the pole holding a white seven-pointed star. Al-Mamlaka, Jordan’s public broadcaster, explains the stripes as the Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid caliphates, the red triangle as the Hashemite family, and the seven points of the star as the seven verses of the Fatiha, the opening chapter of the Quran.
More african flags
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines, squares and rectangles or triangles.
Sources
- Equatorial Guinea 1991 (rev. 2012) Constitution, Constitution of Equatorial Guinea of 1991 (rev. 2012), Article 4 (English translation), Constitute Project, Article 4
- Símbolos Patrios (Embajada de Guinea Ecuatorial en Venezuela), Embassy page on the national symbols, Embajada de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial en Venezuela, Bandera; Escudo
- Drapeau de la Guinée équatoriale (Larousse), Encyclopédie Larousse en ligne, image entry with caption, Larousse, Caption
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 13, 2026. How we research
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