Guinea-Bissau Flag

Description

The Guinea-Bissau flag is available from Flags Online in full-size and desk formats, printed on both sides and made to last outdoors.

About the Guinea-Bissau Flag

A vertical red band at the hoist, marked with a black star, sits beside two horizontal bands of yellow over green on the Guinea-Bissau flag. The layout is closely related to the flag of Ghana, and it reflects the political movement that led Guinea-Bissau, along with Cape Verde, toward independence from Portugal in the 1970s.

Colours and Symbolism

Red on the Guinea-Bissau flag stands for the blood shed during the long struggle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule. Yellow represents the sun and the country’s mineral wealth, while green stands for its vegetation and for hope in the future. The black star at the centre of the red band is a Pan-African symbol of unity and leadership, echoing the black star on Ghana’s flag, which itself referred to the Black Star shipping line associated with the early twentieth-century Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. In Guinea-Bissau’s case, the star also stands for the African continent more broadly.

History of the Guinea-Bissau Flag

The flag grew out of the design used by the PAIGC, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, which led the armed struggle against Portuguese rule in both territories through the 1960s and into the 1970s. Guinea-Bissau declared independence in 1973, and the PAIGC flag became the new country’s national flag. Cape Verde used the same design after its own independence in 1975, and the two countries shared near-identical flags for close to two decades, reflecting their shared liberation movement, until Cape Verde adopted a new flag of its own in 1992. Guinea-Bissau has kept the original design unchanged.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Guinea-Bissau flag is flown at government buildings and schools across the country, and it is especially visible around Independence Day on 24 September. Because the flag closely resembles others in the region that share the same pan-African colours, care is often taken to reproduce the black star and the red band’s proportions correctly so the flag is not mistaken for a similar neighbouring design. It appears at regional gatherings and sporting fixtures whenever Guinea-Bissau is represented, and Guinea-Bissauan communities abroad fly it at cultural events to mark national occasions.

Guinea-Bissau Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 180 x 120cm — R860
• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R400

Material and Construction

Made from 100% polyester bunting material and digitally printed on both sides. Hemmed all around with two rows of stitching and finished with a polyester webbing heading. Rope and toggle for hoisting included.

Supplied in packs of 10. Printed on both sides onto polyester and supplied with a black plastic stick and removable base — take the base off and it doubles as a hand waving flag.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Guinea-Bissau flag is printed to order and dispatched from our Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Johannesburg branches, with courier delivery nationwide. Bulk and school orders are welcome — contact us for volume pricing on quantities of 10 or more.

Additional information