The Secret History Behind Gabon's Flag
Gabon's flag draws the Equator across the middle of the country.
A first version of the flag was raised on June 29, 1959, for the autonomous republic of Gabon, with the same three stripes and the French tricolor in the corner. The current flag was adopted on August 9, 1960, a week before independence, when the French tricolor was removed and the yellow band was widened.
Green stands for the forest that covers much of the country, yellow for the Equator that crosses Gabon from west to east, and blue for the Atlantic Ocean and the many rivers. The yellow is also read as the sun and the country's mineral wealth.
The date printed on every Gabon design in our catalog, August 17, 1960, is Independence Day.
Forest, Equator and sea in three stripes.
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.