Flag of the Republic of Benin
Description
- A green vertical band on the hoist side, with two horizontal bands of yellow over red on the fly
- The colours are Pan-African and trace back to the flag first adopted at independence in 1959
- Reinstated in 1990 after the end of the Marxist-Leninist People's Republic of Benin
Trivia
- Originally adopted on 16 November 1959, replaced in 1975, and restored on 1 August 1990
- One of the earliest African flags to use the Pan-African green-yellow-red palette
- The country was known as Dahomey until 1975 before being renamed Benin
Flag of Benin
Benin's flag consists of a green vertical band on the hoist side and two horizontal bands of yellow over red on the fly. Originally adopted on 16 November 1959 as French Dahomey prepared for independence, it uses the Pan-African colour palette: green for hope and the southern palm groves, yellow for the northern savannas and national wealth, and red for the courage of the ancestors.
The flag was replaced in 1975 by a green field with a red star when the country became the Marxist-Leninist People's Republic of Benin. After the collapse of that regime, the original tricolour was restored on 1 August 1990, marking the return to pluralist democracy and reconnecting the country with its independence-era identity.
json:data
{
"g": "nf,africa",
"ns": "benin",
"id": "benin",
"index": "c/benin",
"title": "Flag of the Republic of Benin",
"ratio": "2:3",
"colors": [
{
"color": "green",
"hex": "#008751",
"note": "Hoist-side vertical band representing hope and the palm groves of the south."
},
{
"color": "yellow",
"hex": "#FCD116",
"note": "Upper fly band symbolising the northern savannas and the country's wealth."
},
{
"color": "red",
"hex": "#E8112D",
"note": "Lower fly band honouring the courage of the ancestors."
}
],
"desc": "- A green vertical band on the hoist side, with two horizontal bands of yellow over red on the fly\n - The colours are Pan-African and trace back to the flag first adopted at independence in 1959\n - Reinstated in 1990 after the end of the Marxist-Leninist People's Republic of Benin",
"article": "benin/flag.md",
"use": {
"as": "national flag",
"since": "1990-08-01"
},
"of": {
"country": "benin"
},
"countryData": {
"name": "Benin",
"officialName": "Republic of Benin",
"continent": "africa",
"un": "member"
},
"trivia": "- Originally adopted on 16 November 1959, replaced in 1975, and restored on 1 August 1990\n - One of the earliest African flags to use the Pan-African green-yellow-red palette\n - The country was known as Dahomey until 1975 before being renamed Benin\n",
"flag": "benin/flag.svg",
"_name": "Benin",
"_namespace": "benin",
"_namePart": ""
}