Flag of Gabon
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The flag of Gabon (Template:Langx) is a tricolour consisting of three horizontal green, yellow, and blue bands. Adopted in 1960 to replace the previous colonial flag containing the French Tricolour at the canton, it has been the flag of the Gabonese Republic since the country gained independence that year. The design of the present flag entailed the removal of the Tricolour and the widening of the yellow stripe at the centre.
HistoryEdit
The French gained control of modern-day Gabon in 1839, when a local chief surrendered the sovereignty of his land to them. The Berlin Conference of 1885 solidified France's claim to the territory through diplomatic recognition,<ref name="LP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and it later became part of French Equatorial Africa in 1910.<ref name="BBC">Template:Cite news</ref> Under French colonial rule over Gabon, the authorities forbade the colony from utilizing its own distinctive colonial flag. This was because they were worried that this could increase nationalistic sentiment and lead to calls for independence.<ref name="EB">Template:Cite encyclopediaTemplate:Subscription required</ref> However, with the rise of the decolonization movement in Africa, the French were obliged to grant limited autonomy to Gabon as a self-governing republic within the French Community. This was granted in 1958 after a referendum was held supporting the proposal.<ref name=BBC/>
Gabon – considered "one of the more progressive" of French colonies – swiftly formulated a design for a new flag, which was officially adopted a year later in 1959.<ref name=EB/><ref name=complete>Template:Cite book</ref> It featured a horizontal tricolour identical to the current flag,<ref name=complete/> but with the yellow stripe at the centre narrower than the green and blue bands surrounding it. The French Tricolour was situated at the canton of the flag, making Gabon the only French autonomous republic to feature this "symbolic link" with France.<ref name=EB/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 9 August 1960 – just over a week before Gabon became an independent country on 17 August<ref>Template:Cite encyclopediaTemplate:Subscription required</ref> – the flag was slightly modified. The change entailed removing the Tricolour at the canton and enlarging the yellow stripe at the centre, thus giving it equal width with the two other bands.<ref name=EB/>
DesignEdit
SymbolismEdit
The colours and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The yellow alludes to the Equator – which cuts across the country<ref name=EB/> – and also symbolizes the sun.<ref name="CIA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The green epitomizes the natural resources of Gabon, as well as its "extensive forested area" that the Gabonese people are economically dependent on in the form of lumber.<ref name=EB/><ref name=complete/><ref name="CIA" /> The blue represents the sea,<ref name=complete/><ref name=CIA/> specifically the South Atlantic Ocean along which the country has an "extensive coast".<ref name=EB/> While Whitney Smith in the Encyclopædia Britannica and Dorling Kindersley's Complete Flags of the World describe the centre band as solely yellow,<ref name=EB/><ref name=complete/> The World Factbook characterizes it as both yellow and gold.<ref name=CIA/>
DistinctivenessEdit
The proportions of Gabon's flag are 3:4.<ref name=complete/> This uncommon flag ratio, which is enshrined by Gabonese law,<ref name=complete/> is shared by the flags of only three other countries – Democratic Republic of the Congo (some sources state that the proportions are 2:3), Papua New Guinea<ref>Template:Cite encyclopediaTemplate:Subscription required</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and San Marino.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopediaTemplate:Subscription required</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Furthermore, the country's flag does not utilize the green, yellow and red colours of the Pan-Africanist movement, in contrast to its neighbouring countries. Unlike other former French colonies in Africa, the flag consists of a horizontal tricolour, rather than a vertical one modelled after the flag of France.<ref name=EB/>
Presidential flagsEdit
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of the President of Gabon (1960–1990).svg | 1960–1990 | Presidential Standard of Gabon | Banner of arms. Green field with three yellow circles forming the top third. The bottom two-thirds feature a yellow field, with a galleon flying the flag of Gabon at the stern sailing on the sea with three blue waves. |
| File:Presidential Standard of Gabon (1990-2016).svg | 1990–2016 | Horizontal green and blue bands separated by a yellow band at the centre, with the coat of arms in a white circle in the middle. | |
| File:Flag of the President of Gabon.svg | 2016–present | Coat of arms on a navy blue background with bands the same colours as the national flag in each corner, from the edge green, yellow, and blue |
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Edit
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Pavillon de la Marine Nationale du Gabon.gif | Flag of the Gabonese Navy |
Ethnic group flagsEdit
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Musikongo.svg | Flag of the Kongo people |
Provincial flagsEdit
Municipal flagsEdit
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Libreville, Gabon (version 1).svg | Flag of Libreville | Libreville Coat of Arms on a white field | |
| File:Flag of Libreville (version 2).svg | Libreville Coat of Arms with a black text "Mairie de Libreville" on a white field |
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Historical flagsEdit
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Gabon 1959-1960.svg | 1959–1960 | Flag of Gabon | Horizontal green and blue bands separated by thinner yellow band at the centre, with the French Tricolour at the canton. |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- {{#if:|
Flag of Gabon at Flags of the World| Flag of Gabon at Flags of the World}}{{#if:
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- Gabon Flag at World Flags 101
Template:Africa topic Template:Nationalflags Template:Gabon topics