Congo flag

The national flag of the Republic of Congo was officially adopted on August 18, 1958, when the country achieved autonomy within the French Community.

This is what the modern flag of the Congo looks like:

History of the flag

Until the mid-19th century, the territory of the modern Republic of Congo was the Kingdom of the Congo. The flag at that time was a white cloth with a red cross, the stripes of which were arranged diagonally.

Then, until the 1960s, the country was a French colony. When the Congo was dominated by French colonial forces, it was not allowed to use its flag. This restriction was due to the fact that it could provoke the growth of nationalist sentiment and calls for independence. Therefore, the symbol of France was officially used during that period of time.

The current form of the Congo flag was first approved in 1958. This happened after the deliverance from the domination of France. After gaining autonomy, the republic adopted its symbols of power.

After the coup in the country and the abolition of parliamentary power, the central committee of the Congolese Labor Party took over full authority over the country.

At the end of 1969, at the proclamation of independence, the flag was placed on the building where the French representation of the government was located.

A year later, the Republic of the Congo was proclaimed the new power. This country became the first on the African continent with the doctrine of Marxism-Leninism. In order to demonstrate the new ideas, a new anthem and flag were introduced.

The flag was a red cloth with an image of the coat of arms. It represented a crossed hammer and hoe, with palm branches inside. In composition, it resembled the flag of the Soviet Union. The coat of arms was topped by a five-pointed star, and at the bottom was an inscription with the motto of the republic, written in French: “Labor. Democracy. Peace.” The palm leaves were green and the symbols of workers’ power were gold and the ribbon had a white hue.

After the advent of democracy and the emergence of several parties in the early 1990s, the ruling party found itself in opposition. After the democratic elections, the people’s republic fell. At that time the official flag of the country was again the 1958 model. It was reapproved in 1991, and the flag has not been changed since then.

Description

The flag of the Republic of Congo is a rectangular cloth with irregularly arranged stripes. The right side of the cloth is red and the left side is green. They are separated by a stripe of yellow, which begins in the lower left corner and extends diagonally to the right. The yellow stripe is half the size of the green and red stripe. Such a non-standard arrangement of the stripes is not typical of other symbols of world powers.

The ratio of length to width is 2 to 3.

Colors of the Flag

The flag of the Republic of the Congo shows the stripes of traditional colors for independent countries in Africa. These are green, yellow and red.

Meaning of colors and flag symbol

The colors depicted on the cloth carry cultural, political, and regional significance. The stripes on the flag are bright green, yellow, and deep red.

Each of them carries a specific meaning for the inhabitants of this republic:

• For the people of the Congo, the color red means the memory of all the people who died in the struggle for the independence of the Congo. But the meaning of this color is not clear to the end.
• The field of yellow represents the natural wealth of the lands of the African continent, in the depths of which there are a large number of minerals: forests and agriculture. This color also symbolizes the friendship and nobility of the people.
• The green color on the canvas symbolizes the natural resources that the country possesses.

The Republic of Congo is an independent country with great potential. This feature is reflected in the flag. It symbolizes the people’s pride in their country. And the three main colors of the flag emphasize the rich cultural heritage.

General information about the Congo

Map of Congo