The flag of Haiti (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: , ht, drapo Ayiti) 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 ...

of the Republic of Haiti. It is a bicolour flag featuring two horizontal bands coloured blue and red, emblazoned by a white rectangular panel bearing the

coat of arms of Haiti The coat of arms of Haiti is the national coat of arms of the Republic of Haiti. It was originally introduced in 1807, and it has appeared in its current form since 1986. Since this Haitian national symbol does not conform to the rules of heraldry ...

. The coat of arms depicts a trophy of weapons atop a green hill and a royal palm symbolizing independence. The palm is topped by the Cap of Liberty. The motto ''L'Union fait la Force'' (" Unity makes strength") appears on a white ribbon below the arrangement.

Present design

National flag

The present design was first used by the Republic of Haiti under President

Alexandre Pétion Alexandre Sabès Pétion (; April 2, 1770 – March 29, 1818) was the first president of the Republic of Haiti from 1807 until his death in 1818. He is acknowledged as one of Haiti's founding fathers; a member of the revolutionary quartet that ...

in 1806. It was most recently readopted on 25 February 2012 under Title I, Chapter I, Article 3 of the current Constitution of Haiti:

L'emblême de la Nation Haïtienne est le Drapeau qui répond à la description suivante:

The English translation adopted by the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C., reads:

The emblem of the Haitian Nation shall be a flag with the following description:

Contrary to the constitutional mandate, the white field is rarely (if ever) rendered as a square. A rectangle with an 11:9 ratio has been adopted by the Haitian Ministry of Information and Coordination since 1987 or earlier. The flag of

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

is one of seven national flags whose designs incorporate a depiction of the flag itself, the others being the flags of

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. The flag is one of four national flags of

UN member states The United Nations member states are the sovereign states that are members of the United Nations (UN) and have equal representation in the United Nations General Assembly, UN General Assembly. The UN is the world's largest international o ...

to feature a

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

, the others being those of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

, and

Civil flag

The civil flag and ensign omits the coat of arms.

Colours scheme

History

The first purely Haitian flag was adopted on 18 May 1803, on the last day of the Congress of

Arcahaie Arcahaie ( ht, Lakayè) is a commune in the Arcahaie Arrondissement, in the Ouest Ouest (French for west) may refer to: *Ouest (department), Haiti *Ouest Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of Ivory Coast * Ouest Province ...

, about north of

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

. Haitian lore holds that the newly appointed revolutionary leader

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent First Empire of Haiti, Haiti under the Constitution of Haiti, 1 ...

created the flag by taking a French tricolor and ripping out the white center, which he discarded. He then asked

Catherine Flon Catherine Flon (d. ''after'' 1803) was a Haitian seamstress, patriot and national heroine. She is regarded as one of the symbols of the Haitian Revolution and independence. She is celebrated for sewing the first Haitian flag in May 18, 1803 and ma ...

, his god-daughter, to sew the remaining bands together. The white

pale Pale may refer to: Jurisdictions * Medieval areas of English conquest: ** Pale of Calais, in France (1360–1558) ** The Pale, or the English Pale, in Ireland *Pale of Settlement, area of permitted Jewish settlement, western Russian Empire (179 ...

removed, the blue was taken to represent Haiti's black citizens and the red the ''

gens de couleur In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

''. The story is widely known in Haiti: the anniversary of the date is celebrated as the

Flag and Universities Day The following are public holidays in Haiti. Many Vodou holidays are also celebrated, but are not considered public holidays. The two most important holidays for Haitian Americans are Haitian Independence Day and Haitian Flag Day. In addition ...

and images of Catherine Flon have appeared on Haitian currency and stamps. Following his proclamation as Emperor Jacques I, Dessalines promulgated a new constitution on 20 May 1805. In it, the colors of the flag were altered to black and red.''New York Evening Post'': "Constitution of Hayti." General Dispositions: Article 20. 15 July 1805. Op. cit. Corbett, Bob.
The 1805 Constitution of Haiti
.'' 4 April 1999. Accessed 12 February 2011. This flag being subsequently adopted by

Henri Christophe Henri Christophe (; 6 October 1767 – 8 October 1820) was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti. Christophe was of Bambara ethnicity in West Africa, and perhaps of Igbo descent. Beginning with t ...

, the republicans under

returned to the colors blue and red, subsequently turning them horizontal and adding the newly adopted Haitian coat of arms. During the period of the Haitian Empire of Faustin I, his coat of arms was used on the flag and for official functions, but it was subsequently abandoned upon his removal from office. Between 1964 and 1986, the family dictatorships of François "Papa Doc" and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned to Dessalines' black and red design. They included the national coat of arms, but altered the flags in its trophy to black as well. File:Flag of Haiti (1791-1789).svg, Flag of Haitian insurgents during the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt ...

File:Flag of Haiti (1803–1804).svg, Flag from 1803 to 1804 File:Flag of Haiti 1964 (civil).svg, Flag of the Empire of Haiti (1804–1806) File:Flag of Haiti (1806–1811).svg, Flag of the State of Haiti (1806–1811) File:Royal Flag of Haiti (1811–1814).svg, Flag of the Kingdom of Haiti (1811–1814) File:Flag of Kingdom of Haiti.svg, Flag of the Kingdom of Haiti (1814–1820) File:Flag of Haiti (civil).svg, Flag of the

Republic of Haiti (1806–1820) The first Republic of Haiti (french: link=no, République d'Haïti; ht, Repiblik d Ayiti) controlled the southern portions of Haiti from 1806 until 1820. The republic, commonly referred to as South Haiti during its existence, was created on 17 ...

and Republic of Haiti (1820–1849) File:Flag of Haiti (1849-1859) - Second Empire of Haiti.svg, Flag of the Empire of Haiti (1849–1859) File:Flag of Haiti (1859–1964).svg, Flag from 1859 to 1964, used by the Republic of Haiti (1820–1849) and the Republic of Haiti (1859–1957) File:Flag of Haiti (1964–1986).svg, Flag from 1964 to 1986, used by Duvalier File:Flag of Haiti.svg, Flag of Haiti (since 1986) File:Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg, Flag during United States occupation of Haiti (1915–1934)

Notes

References

External links

* * *
The Armorial of Haiti: Symbols of Nobility in the Reign of Henry Christophe

{{Haiti topics

National symbols of Haiti Haitian culture