A brief overview of the meaning, history and key facts about the national flag of Cabo Verde, commonly known in English as Cape Verde.
Flag of Cabo Verde
Adopted in 1992, the national flag of Cabo Verde consists of a blue field crossed by three horizontal stripes—two white and one red—with a circle of ten yellow stars. The blue background represents the sky and the sea surrounding the islands. The white stripes symbolize peace, while the red stripe represents the effort and determination of the people. The ten stars represent the ten islands of the Cape Verde archipelago and are arranged in a circle to symbolize unity.
Printable Cabo Verde Flag (PNG Download)
Interesting facts about Cabo Verde’s flag
1. Cabo Verde adopted its current national flag in January 1992, replacing the previous flag that used the same colors as the flag of Guinea-Bissau.
2. Although Cabo Verde’s name includes the word “verde” (green), the modern flag intentionally avoids the color green, influenced by the country’s dry climate and frequent droughts.
3. According to the flag’s designer Pedro Gregório Lopes, blue reflects the country’s maritime identity, where the sea plays a central role in the lives of the people.
Explore more about Cabo Verde:
Evolution of Cabo Verde’s flag
Former national flag of Cabo Verde (1975–1992)
When Cabo Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975, it adopted a flag using the pan-African colors of red, green, and yellow. The design was based on the flag of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and closely resembled the flag of Guinea-Bissau.
History of Cabo Verde’s flag
Colonial period
Before independence from Portugal, Cabo Verde did not have its own national flag and instead used the Portuguese national flag.
In the late 1960s, a flag for the Portuguese overseas province of Cabo Verde was proposed. The design consisted of the Portuguese flag with the shield from the provincial coat of arms added to the lower fly.
However, this proposal was never adopted.
Independence and the first national flag
Cabo Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and introduced its first national flag the same year.
The design was based on the flag of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and used the pan-African colors of red, green, and yellow.
The similarity between the flags of Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau reflected the plan to unite the two countries after independence.
Adoption of the current flag
Plans for political union between the two countries ended after a military coup in Guinea-Bissau in 1980.
In 1992, Cabo Verde adopted a new national flag featuring ten stars representing the islands of the archipelago arranged in a circle to symbolize unity.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.