The flag of Togo (french: drapeau du Togo) is the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

, ensign, and naval jack of Togo. It has five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow. There is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner. It uses the pan-African colors of Ethiopia, but the design resembles the flag of Liberia, which itself echoes the

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

, making it part of both the pan-African and Stars and Stripes flag families.

History

The flag was designed by artist

Paul Ahyi Paul Ahyi (January 15, 1930 – January 4, 2010) was a Togolese artist, sculptor, architect, painter, interior designer and author. Ahyi is credited with designing of the flag of Togo. Ahyi was known for his massive outdoor artworks, reliefs ...

and approximates a golden rectangle closely. Ahyi was regarded as among the greatest of African artists of his generation. Born in Togo, Ahyi graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1959 and returned to Togo. He designed the flag of Togo while working on other contemporary works.Décès de Paul Ahyi, le Picasso africain
(French) ''Le Telegramme'' The flag was adopted on 27 April 1960, and is still in use. During France's rule over Togo from 1957 to 1958, the flag of French Togo was used. After Togo's independence, the first Flag of Togo was used from 1958 to 1960.

Symbolism

The four colors (green, red, white and yellow) are the pan-African colors. The colors of the flag are meant to symbolize the following: * Red represents blood shed by Togo's freedom fighters * White star represents hope * Green represents the forests, agriculture, nature, and overall hope for the future * Yellow represents the natural resources of the country The five stripes represent the five regions of Togo.

Geometry

The sides of the flag of Togo are in the golden ratio . As of November 2023, this makes it one of two national flags in active use with an irrational

proportion Proportionality, proportion or proportional may refer to: Mathematics * Proportionality (mathematics), the property of two variables being in a multiplicative relation to a constant * Ratio, of one quantity to another, especially of a part compare ...

, the other being the

flag of Nepal The national flag of Nepal ( ne, नेपालको झण्डा) is the world's only non-rectangular flag that acts as both the state flag and civil flag of a sovereign country. The flag is a simplified combination of two single pennon ...

Historical flags

Gallery

Flag of Deutsch-Togo.svg,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Togo, Flag of Flags introduced in 1960

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...