Cape Verde Flag Colors, Meaning & History

Cape Verde flag
Color Palette
ColorsHEX CodeRGBCMYK
Blue#0436864, 54, 13497, 60, 0, 47
White#FFFFFF255, 255, 2550, 0, 0, 0
Red#CF2027207, 32, 390, 85, 81, 19
Yellow#F7D116247, 209, 220, 15, 91, 3

The flag of the Republic of Cape Verde is made of five unequal horizontal bands. The colors of the bands are blue, white, and red, with a circle of ten yellow stars that are all five-pointed, pointing upwards. The upper blue stripe is half the width of the flag. The middle stripes of white and red are narrower than the bottom blue stripe.

Meaning of the Cape Verde Flag

The blue color in the Cape Verde flag represents the Atlantic Ocean. The 10 stars in the Cape Verde Flag represent the 10 islands of the country in the Atlantic Ocean. The white and red stripes in the middle of the flag represent peace and the national pathway to the nation’s building. The red, white, and blue colors represent the strong ties between Cape Verde, Portugal, and the United States.

History of the Cape Verde Flag

Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau have strived together for independence from Portuguese rule. On July 5, 1975, Cape Verde became independent.  The flag raised at that time was inspired by the Pan-African colors and the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. The flag of 1975 had a black star with corn cobs and a seashell, in addition to the Pan-African stripes. It was a common flag with Guinea-Bissau. In 1990, the Movement for Democracy defeated the socialist party in the elections. The Socialist party symbols and the Pan-African policies were abandoned. A new flag designed by Pedro Gregorio was introduced and became official in 1992, and it is still in use today.