Flag of Cuba

What the flag looks like

Five horizontal stripes, three blue alternating with two white, and a red equilateral triangle at the hoist holding a white five-pointed star.

What it means

The three blue stripes stand for the three military departments of colonial Cuba, white for the purity of the cause, and the red triangle for liberty, equality and fraternity and the blood of the struggle; the lone star stands for independence.

How to remember it

Cuba: blue and white stripes with a red triangle at the hoist; Puerto Rico swaps the colors, using red stripes and a blue triangle.

Fun facts

• The flag was designed in 1849 for Narciso López, who first raised it in Cárdenas in 1850, decades before Cuba became independent.
• Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean.

Cuba at a glance

Capital

Havana

Region

Caribbean

Population

11 million

Area

109,884 km²

Languages

Spanish

Currency

Cuban peso ($)

Flag adopted

1902

Flags often confused with Cuba

• Chile: Chile and Cuba both use red, white and blue with one white star. Chile's star is in a blue square in the corner; Cuba's is in a red triangle at the hoist, with blue and white stripes.
• Czechia: Cuba and Czechia both have a triangle at the hoist. Cuba has a red triangle with a white star on blue-and-white stripes; Czechia has a plain blue triangle on two bands, white over red.
• Greece: Cuba and Greece both have blue and white horizontal stripes. Cuba has five stripes and a red triangle with a white star at the hoist; Greece has nine stripes and a blue square with a white cross in the corner.
• Philippines: Cuba and the Philippines both have a triangle at the hoist. Cuba's is red with a white star on blue-and-white stripes; the Philippines' is white with a gold sun and stars, on two bands, blue over red.