Flag of Congo - Kinshasa
The flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is sky blue with a yellow star in the top corner and a red diagonal stripe edged in yellow running from the bottom left to the top right.
At a glance
- Adopted
- February 18, 2006set by the new constitution of 2006; a similar design with a darker blue was used from 1963 to 1971
- Shape (height : width)
- 3:4
- Capital
- Kinshasa
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- sky blue
- red
- yellow
What it means
- Sky blue: peace
- Red: the blood of the country's martyrs
- Yellow: the country's wealth
- Star: a bright future for the country
Where it came from
A yellow star on blue goes back to 1877. It was the flag of an association set up by King Leopold II of Belgium, and later of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo.
The current flag was introduced by the new constitution of 18 February 2006, after years of war. It brought back a design close to the one used in the 1960s, but with a lighter sky blue.
History
At independence in 1960, six small stars for the six provinces were added under the big star. In 1963 the flag got its red diagonal stripe and one star in the corner.
From 1971 to 1997, when the country was called Zaire, it used a green flag with a yellow circle and an arm holding a flaming torch. In 1997 a flag based on the 1960 design came back, and in 2006 it was changed to today's version.
Fun facts
- The flag is unusually short and tall: 3 units by 4.
- Under the name Zaire, the country's flag showed an arm holding a burning torch.
- The yellow star on blue is one of the oldest flag designs in Africa, from 1877.
Easy to mix up with
Congo - Brazzaville: The Republic of the Congo, its neighbour, also has a diagonal band, but its colours are green, yellow and red with no star
Tanzania: Tanzania has a black diagonal band edged in yellow, between green and blue
Questions
What does the flag of Congo - Kinshasa look like?
The flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is sky blue with a yellow star in the top corner and a red diagonal stripe edged in yellow running from the bottom left to the top right.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Congo - Kinshasa mean?
Sky blue: peace; Red: the blood of the country's martyrs; Yellow: the country's wealth; Star: a bright future for the country.
When was the flag of Congo - Kinshasa adopted?
The current flag of Congo - Kinshasa was adopted on February 18, 2006. (set by the new constitution of 2006; a similar design with a darker blue was used from 1963 to 1971)
What colours are on the flag of Congo - Kinshasa?
The flag of Congo - Kinshasa uses sky blue, red and yellow.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Congo - Kinshasa?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Congo - Brazzaville. The Republic of the Congo, its neighbour, also has a diagonal band, but its colours are green, yellow and red with no star
Famous landmarks in Congo - Kinshasa
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Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)