Country flag

Equatorial Guinea Flag

Equatorial Guinea’s national flag combines green, white and red horizontal bands with a blue triangle at the hoist and the Republic’s arms at centre. Th...

Where is Equatorial Guinea?

The highlighted area marks the country on the world map.

Zoomed location

This country is small on the world map, so this inset shows nearby countries for context.

About Equatorial Guinea and its flag

Equatorial Guinea’s national flag combines green, white and red horizontal bands with a blue triangle at the hoist and the Republic’s arms at centre. The constitutional description fixes those components, while the government’s symbols page explains the official meanings assigned to the four colours and describes the arms’ six stars and motto. The blue triangle and central arms make the flag especially distinctive among African tricolours.

Flag design and meaning

The Constitution specifies green, white and red horizontal bands of equal size, a blue triangle at the end nearest the flagstaff, and the Republic’s coat of arms in the centre. The official government presentation confirms the four colours and describes the arms as including six six-pointed stars and the motto “Unidad, Paz y Justicia”.

Green, white, red and blue: The government assigns green to the country’s rich forest, white to peace, red to the blood of those who fought for independence, and blue to the sea linking the continental and island areas.
Six six-pointed stars in the arms: The government states that the six stars represent the six territories of Equatorial Guinea and its adjacent islands.

History and adoption

Official government accounts say the flag was raised on 12 October 1968, the day Equatorial Guinea became sovereign. The government’s symbols page gives that date for approval of the national coat of arms. The current constitutional text, officially promulgated in 2012 after the 2011 constitutional reform, states the flag’s band-and-triangle arrangement and central arms. These sources distinguish the 1968 historical milestone from the later constitutional formulation.

How to recognise this flag

Find the blue hoist triangle before comparing the horizontal green-white-red bands with other tricolours.
Check the centre for the small national coat of arms, including its arc of stars and the “Unidad, Paz y Justicia” motto.