The Secret History Behind Chad's Flag
Chad and Romania have almost the same flag, and nobody planned it.
Chad adopted its tricolor in 1959, before independence. The colors combine the blue, white and red of France, the former colonial power, with the green, yellow and red of the Pan-African flags. The green stripe was replaced by blue to avoid confusion with the flags of other newly independent African states.
Romania's flag had a communist emblem in the middle when Chad chose its flag. When the emblem was removed in 1989, Romania's tricolor became practically the same as Chad's. In 2004 Chad asked the United Nations to look into the matter, and Romania's president answered that the tricolor belonged to Romania and would not change. The only difference is that Chad's blue is slightly darker.
For Chad, blue stands for the sky, hope and the south of the country, yellow for the sun and the desert of the north, and red for progress, unity and sacrifice.
The date printed on every Chad design in our catalog, August 11, 1960, is Independence Day.
Two flags that look alike, born without knowing each other.
Looking for a gift with a story? See our heritage gift guide, or read the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Stories page.