The

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

flag of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

is a sky blue flag, adorned with a yellow star in the upper left canton and cut diagonally by a red stripe with a yellow fimbriation. It was adopted on 18 February 2006. A new constitution, ratified in December 2005 and which came into effect in February 2006, promoted a return to a flag similar to that flown between 1966 and 1971, with a change from a royal blue to sky blue background. Blue represents peace. Red stands for "the blood of the country's martyrs", yellow the country's wealth; and the star symbol the future for the country. During the period between 1971 and 1997 as

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

, the flag consisted of a light green fabric with a yellow circle holding a flaming torch. It is one of the few national flags incorporating a diagonal line, with other examples including

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

, and

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

Colours

The colours approximation is listed below:

Previous flags

The previous flag was adopted in 2003. It was similar to the flag used between 1960 and 1963. That flag, in turn, was based on the flag which was originally used by King Leopold's

Association Internationale Africaine The International African Association (in full, "International Association for the Exploration and Civilization of Central Africa"; in French ''Association Internationale Africaine,'' and in full ''Association Internationale pour l'Exploration et ...

and was first used in 1877. The 1877 design featured a yellow star on a blue background. The 1877 flag continued as the flag of the

Congo Free State The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (), was a large Sovereign state, state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold II, the const ...

after the territory was recognized as an official possession of Leopold II at the

Berlin Conference The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 was a meeting of colonial powers that concluded with the signing of the General Act of Berlin,

. After gaining independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960, the same basic design was maintained. However, six smaller stars were added to the hoist to symbolise the six provinces of the country at the time. This design was used only from 1960 to 1963. The flag of the second Republic of

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga ( ; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997), often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS, was a Congolese politician and military officer ...

became the official banner after Mobutu established his dictatorship. This flag was used from 1966 to 1971 and consisted of the same yellow star, now made smaller, situated in the top corner of the hoist side, with a red, yellow-lined band running diagonally across the center. The red symbolized the people's blood; the yellow symbolized prosperity; the blue symbolized hope; and the star represented unity. The flag changed again when the country was renamed

in 1971. The Zairean flag used

Pan-African colours Pan-African colours is a term that may refer to two different sets of colours: * Green, yellow and red, the colours of the flag of Ethiopia, have come to represent the pan-Africanist ideology due to the country's history of having avoided bein ...

and it featured a light green flag emblazoned with a yellow circle containing an arm holding a red torch which symbolised the spirit of revolution and the lives of dead revolutionaries. That flag had a central emblem which is that of the Popular Movement. The new flag was created as part of Mobutu's attempted re-Africanization of the nation and was used officially until Mobutu's overthrow in the

First Congo War The First Congo War, also known as Africa's First World War, was a Civil war, civil and international military conflict that lasted from 24 October 1996 to 16 May 1997, primarily taking place in Zaire (which was renamed the Democratic Republi ...

. The flag of Zaire was also used as the political-party flag of the

Popular Movement of the Revolution The Popular Movement of the Revolution (, Abbreviation, abbr. MPR) was the ruling political party in Zaire (known for part of its existence as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). For most of its existence, it was one-party state, the only l ...

, led by Mobutu. This flag was adopted by the New Zaire Government in Exile formed in 2017 and was displayed used during a failed coup attempt in May 2024. In 1997, when the Mobutu government was overthrown and the country assumed its current designation of Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country reverted to 1960s post-independence design, featuring a single large star and six smaller stars. In 2003, the most recent change before the adoption of the current flag, the flag's color was modified to use a lighter shade of blue. Flag of the Congo Free State.svg, Flag of

(1877–1885), the

(1885–1908), and the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

(1908–1960) Flag of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) (1960–1963).svg, Flag of Congo-Léopoldville from independence 30 June 1960 until 1963. Also used by the rival Congo-Stanleyville from 1960 to 1962. Flag of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) (1963–1966).svg, Flag from 1963 until 1966 Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1966–1971).svg, Flag from 1966 until 1971 Flag of Zaire (1971–1997).svg, Flag of

(1971–1997) Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–2003).svg, Flag of the

(1997–2003) Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2003–2006).svg, Flag of the

(2003–2006) Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg, Flag of the

(since 2006)

Colours

Previous flags

See also

References

Further reading