The flag of the Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

was adopted on December 1, 1958. It was designed by Barthélemy Boganda

Barthélemy Boganda

Barthélemy Boganda was the leading nationalist politician of what is now the Central African Republic. Boganda was active prior to his country's independence, during the period when the area, part of French Equatorial Africa, was administered by France under the name of Oubangui-Chari...

, the first president of the autonomous territory of Oubangui-Chari

Oubangui-Chari

Oubangui-Chari, or Ubangi-Shari, was a French territory in central Africa which later became the independent Central African Republic . French activity in the area began in 1889 with the establishment of an outpost at Bangui, now the capital of CAR. The territory was named in 1894.In 1903, French...

, who believed that "France and Africa must march together." Thus he combined the blue, white and red of the French tricolour

Flag of France

The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured royal blue , white, and red...

 and the Pan-African colors red, green and yellow.

According to its official description, red symbolizes the blood of the people of the nation, the blood that was spilt in order to bring it independence, and the blood that they would spill to protect their nation. Blue represents the sky and freedom. White represents peace, and dignity. Green represents hope, and faith. Yellow represents tolerance.

From 1976 to 1979, during the existence of the Central African Empire

Central African Empire

The Central African Empire was a short-lived, self-declared autocratic monarchy that replaced the Central African Republic and was, in turn, replaced by the restoration of the republic. The empire was formed when Jean-Bédel Bokassa, President of the republic, declared himself Emperor Bokassa I on...

, an imperial standard was designed for Emperor Bokassa I's personal use. The standard was light green in color, with a gold-colored eagle

Eagle

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

 in the centre superimposed over a 20-pointed gold star, inspired by the eagle on the imperial standard of Napoleon I

Napoleon I

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

. The nation's national flag, however, remained unchanged.

Former flags

Flag Flag of France The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured royal blue , white, and red...  of Ubangi-Shari as a territory of France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...  (1903–1960)

Imperial Standard of Bokassa I (1976-1979)