Gabon is a state located in central Africa. Its flag is very colorful. All the colors are related to the geographical location of the republic.
This is what the modern flag of Gabon looks like:
History of the Gabonese flag
The flag of Gabon was adopted on August 9, 1960. It consists of three equal stripes of certain colors, which fully reflects the location of the state. Namely:
- Green symbolizes the country’s forests.
- Blue symbolizes the ocean, the Atlantic.
- The yellow stripe, which symbolizes the equator and the bright African sun, divides these colors.
The year before, in 1959, another flag was adopted, it differed from the current one by the width of the stripes and the presence of the French tricolor in the canton. But after that the Republic of Gabon was proclaimed independent and the French standard disappeared from the cloth, and its lines widened.
It is known that in the late 19th century Gabon fell under the protectorate of France, but the state was able to adopt its flag only by 1959. On the left side of the banner in the upper corner was a French flag. After the proclamation of independence of the Gabonese Republic August 9, 1960 in the country adopted its own form of flag, it has not changed. Only the tricolor symbol of France has disappeared forever. The updated design is used to this day.
The flag of Gabon in many respects resembles the symbol of Bantung city in the Indonesian province of West Java.
At present, Gabon is a unitary presidential republic. The population is predominantly Catholic Christian, as an echo of dependence on France.
Description
The flag of Gabon is rectangular in shape. The ratio of its sides is 3 to 4. The stripes on it are horizontal in equal proportions. The design of the cloth fully reflects the geographical characteristics of the Gabonese Republic.
Gabon flag colors
The cloth consists of three bands of the same size – green, yellow, and blue. In the past, the yellow stripe was much narrower; later, after independence, it was widened and equalized with the others.
Meaning of colors and flag symbol
The Gabonese Republic is famous for its forests, so the first stripe is green, it fits in with the main color of the flag like no other. It is known that up to 75% of the country is covered by forests.
The blue shade on the cloth symbolizes the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which washes the shores of the country.
The yellow stripe divides this symbol of the country just as the equator divides this state into two parts. And yellow is also a reminder of the sun, which is very abundant in this state.
Everything is very simple with this African country, the flag displayed everything that is in abundance in Gabon, namely: forests, sea and sun. However, the symbolic colors of the republic reflect not only its geographical data, it is the cultural heritage, political past and present of the people, and, of course, the regional characteristics.
Gabon is currently the richest and most stable state in Africa. Since the republic has long been under the dependence of France, the official language is now French and the currency unit is called the CFA franc. The capital is the city of Libreville.
General information about Gabon
| Official language | French |
| Capital | Libreville |
| Territory | 267,667 km2 |
| Population | 1,738,541 people |
| Currency | CFA franc |
| Phone Code | +241 |
