Flag of Guinea-Bissau

What the flag looks like

A vertical red band at the hoist bearing a black five-pointed star, with two horizontal bands, yellow over green, filling the fly.

What it means

Red represents the blood of the independence fighters, yellow the sun and wealth, and green hope and the forests; the black star stands for African unity.

How to remember it

Guinea-Bissau has a black star on a red hoist band beside yellow over green; Benin has the same layout but a plain green band.

Fun facts

• Guinea-Bissau declared independence from Portugal in 1973; Portugal recognized it in 1974.
• Hippos in the Bijagós archipelago are known for swimming in the sea between islands.

Guinea-Bissau at a glance

Capital

Bissau

Region

Western Africa

Population

2.2 million

Area

36,125 km²

Languages

Portuguese, Upper Guinea Creole

Currency

West African CFA franc (FCFA)

Flag adopted

1973

Flags often confused with Guinea-Bissau

• Benin: 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.
• Ghana: Ghana and Guinea-Bissau both use red, yellow, green and a black star. Ghana has three horizontal stripes with the star in the middle; Guinea-Bissau has a vertical red band at the hoist holding the star.
• Madagascar: Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar both have a vertical band at the hoist and two horizontal bands. Guinea-Bissau's hoist band is red with a black star, then yellow over green; Madagascar's is white, then red over green.
• São Tomé and Príncipe: Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe both use red at the hoist with black stars, yellow and green. Guinea-Bissau has a red band with one star; São Tomé has a red triangle and two stars on a yellow stripe.