Flag of Benin

What the flag looks like

A vertical green band at the hoist, with two horizontal bands, yellow over red, filling the fly.

What it means

Green stands for hope and renewal, yellow for the country's wealth and red for the courage of the ancestors.

How to remember it

Benin has a green band standing at the hoist with yellow over red beside it; Madagascar's band is white, Guinea-Bissau's is red with a star.

Fun facts

• The flag was first adopted in 1959; from 1975 to 1990 the Marxist People's Republic of Benin used a green flag with a red star, and the original returned in 1990.
• Until 1975 the country was called Dahomey, after the precolonial kingdom whose all-female Agojie regiment inspired the 2022 film The Woman King.

Benin at a glance

Capital

Porto-Novo

Region

Western Africa

Population

14 million

Area

112,622 km²

Languages

French

Currency

West African CFA franc (FCFA)

Flag adopted

1990

Flags often confused with Benin

• Guinea-Bissau: Benin and Guinea-Bissau both have a vertical hoist band and two horizontal bands. Benin's band is plain green with yellow over red; Guinea-Bissau's is red with a black star, with yellow over green.
• Madagascar: Benin and Madagascar both have a vertical hoist band and two horizontal bands. Benin is green at the hoist with yellow over red; Madagascar is white at the hoist with red over green.