Flag of Upper Volta
Officially Republic of Upper Volta
Locally Haute-Volta
What the flag looks like
Three equal horizontal stripes of black, white and red; it is identical to the flag of the German Empire.
What it means
The stripes stood for the three branches of the Volta River that cross the country: the Black, White and Red Volta.
How to remember it
Upper Volta's
black, white and red stripes are its three rivers, the Black, White and Red Volta; the German Empire
flew exactly the same stripes, and Yemen
has them upside down.
Fun facts
- On 4 August 1984, under Thomas Sankara, the country was renamed Burkina Faso, "land of upright people", and given its red and green flag with a yellow star.
- The flag is identical to that of the German Empire of 1867–1918, though the two designs have no connection.
Upper Volta at a glance
- Existed
- 1958–1984
- Flag used
- 1959–1984
- Today
- Burkina Faso
- Capital
- Ouagadougou
- Region
- 1958–1984
- Languages
- French
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (Fr)
- Flag adopted
- 1959
Flags often confused with Upper Volta
- Yemen: Upper Volta and Yemen both have plain black, white and red horizontal stripes. Upper Volta has black on top; Yemen has red on top.