Flag Fact Friday: Gabon

The current flag of Gabon was adopted in 1960 when the country declared independence from France, and it is composed of three horizontal stripes from the top in green, yellow and blue colors. The flag should express solidarity with other independent African states - the first two bands were taken from the flag of Ethiopia, but also refer to former ties to France as Gabon´s colonizer (blue bar). Green stripe symbolizes the Gabonese forest and timber industry, yellow stripe stands for the local sharp sun and the zero parallel, which passes through the country. Blue bar represents the Atlantic Ocean, which washes the western shores of the country, as well as all waters of the country, especially the river Ogooué.