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Guinea Bissau

Guiné-Bissau

Last modified: 2009-09-12 by antónio martins
Keywords: star: 5 points (black) | pan-african | portuguese guinea | guinea bissau | guiné-bissau |
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Guinea Bissau flag
image by Željko Heimer, 23 Oct 2001
See also:

About the flag

Yellow over green bicolour with red vertical stripe at hoist containing a black five-pointed star.
Željko Heimer, 23 Oct 2001

The symbolism of this flag is inherited from the symbolism of Ghana, from which it comes: an arrangement of the pan-african colours with the black star of Africa added. Its proportions are, as in the party flag, 1:2.
Jorge Candeias, 02 Nov 1999

I have a photo from the independence war where the flag with Cabral image were already used. Issued in magazime Afrique-Asie.
Jaume Ollé, 30 Apr 2003

Construction details

GB flag specs
image by Željko Heimer, 23 Oct 2001

The Album 2000 [pay00] says «CSW/CSW ≅1:2». The construction details are given, but since the overall ratio is approximate, the constr details are inevitably so. The two horizontal stripes are of the same size, of course, and the width of the vertical stripe is one third of the total length. The star apears to be inscribed in a circle with the center in the midpoint of the red stripe and of diameter equal to two units used on the scheeme (i.e. 1/3 of hoist).
Željko Heimer, 23 Oct 2001


Vertical variant

vertical Guinea Bissau flag by Željko Heimer, 12 Jan 2004

A photo on the book História da Guiné e Ilhas de Cabo Verde, by PAIGC, 1974, shows the assembly of Madina do Boé (place of the unilateral declaration of independence, 24 Sep. 1973) in the bush or jungle with lots of small flags and a large one in vertical position in a rope like clothes to dry. The main flag, and some small, are shown with the darker (the green) stripe to the right, which means we see the reverse side of the flag (it’s not a reversed image, because there are some bands with words that we can read). The photo is captioned «Bruna Amico © Gamma, Paris». With the examples of this book and Cabral’s poster, I wonder if there is trend or old habit to use the Bissau-Guinea flag in vertical position.
Francisco Santos, 29 and 30 Apr 2003

With “sharp” star

unusual Guinea Bissau flag by Francisco Santos, 12 Jan 2004

In the book História da Guiné e Ilhas de Cabo Verde, by PAIGC, 1974, the only image on the cover is a vertical Guinean-Bissau flag, with a “leaner” star. The book does have only one image on the cover page, which is like the national flag in vertical position, with the difference that it has an irregular star, pointed to the top (of the image/book).
Francisco Santos, 29 and 30 Apr 2003


National Aircraft Marking

Big star

GB roundel #2
image by Željko Heimer, 23 Oct 2001

Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau was formed in 1978 and since it foundation use a black 5 points star on red disc as roundel.
Dov Gutterman, 16 Jun 2004

Red roundel with black five-pointed star. Album 2000 [pay00] show the star “throughout”, while [cos98] has it a bit smaller, probably both variations are to be seen.
Željko Heimer, 23 Oct 2001

Small star

GB roundel #1
image by Željko Heimer, 23 Oct 2001

From this and this photo, seems that it is something between…
Dov Gutterman, 16 Jun 2004

Coast Guard

Guinea Bissau also have a Coast Guard, G. C. Marítima, whose plane have a national flag as fin flash. See this photo.
Dov Gutterman, 16 Jun 2004


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