Country flag

São Tomé and Príncipe Flag

São Tomé and Príncipe’s national flag is defined in Article 14 of the Constitution. It combines a scarlet triangle at the hoist with green, yellow and g...

Where is São Tomé and Príncipe?

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 São Tomé and Príncipe and its flag

São Tomé and Príncipe’s national flag is defined in Article 14 of the Constitution. It combines a scarlet triangle at the hoist with green, yellow and green horizontal bands, and two black stars. The constitutional specification gives the central band and triangle particular relative dimensions.

Flag design and meaning

The outer horizontal bands are green and equal in width. The middle band is yellow and one and a half times the width of either green band, with two black five-pointed stars. A scarlet triangle is based on the hoist edge; its height is half its base.

The flag as a national symbol: Article 14 expressly places the flag in the Constitution’s national-symbols provision. It defines the colours and geometry but does not assign official meanings to individual colours or stars, so no further symbolism is inferred here.

History and adoption

The constitutional record dates the Constitution’s approval to 5 November 1975 and its publication to 15 December 1975. The National Assembly’s legislative index also records later constitutional revisions, including one in 2003. Article 14 is the reviewed legal description of the national flag.

How to recognise this flag

Look for a scarlet triangle at the hoist rather than a red horizontal stripe.
The yellow centre band is visibly wider than the two green outer bands and carries exactly two black five-pointed stars.