Flag of the Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo, sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville, is a Central African country along the Congo River, distinct from the much larger Democratic Republic of the Congo across the water. It gained independence from France in 1960 and has significant offshore oil reserves. Its capital Brazzaville sits directly across the Congo River from Kinshasa, making them the world's closest pair of capital cities, visible to each other across the water.

CapitalBrazzaville
RegionAfrica
Current flag since1991
Main coloursGreen, Yellow, Red
Populationabout 6 million
Areaabout 342,000 km²
Flags in history4

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of the Republic of the Congo means

Green stands for the forests and hope, yellow for friendship and the nobility of the people, and red for the struggle for independence. The diagonal tricolour was adopted in 1959. From 1970 to 1991 the People's Republic of the Congo used a red flag with communist symbols, and the original flag was restored in 1991.

More about the flag

The Republic of the Congo, often called Congo-Brazzaville after its capital, became independent from France on 15 August 1960. It is a different country from its much larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo: their capitals, Brazzaville and Kinshasa, face each other across the Congo River. The diagonal design is unusual among former French colonies, most of which chose vertical tricolours.

How to recognise it

Diagonal green-yellow-red stripes from lower left to upper right.

Did you know?

The Republic of the Congo has one of the highest urbanisation rates in sub-Saharan Africa.

Easily confused with

The Republic of the Congo's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:

Guinea

Cameroon

Flag history of the Republic of the Congo

Every flag that has flown over the Republic of the Congo, from today back through time.

1991–present

Flag of the Republic of the Congo

With the collapse of the one-party Marxist state in 1991, the country readopted its original 1959 diagonal green-yellow-red tricolour in the pan-African colors.

1970–1991

People's Republic flag

Under the Marxist-Leninist People's Republic of the Congo, a red field bore a crossed hoe and hammer within a star and palm wreath — one of Africa's few openly communist state flags.

1959–1970

Original tricolour

Adopted in 1959 before full independence, this green-yellow-red diagonal tricolour was abolished when the Marxist regime took power — then restored unchanged in 1991.

1550–1883

Kingdom of Loango

A coastal Kongo-related kingdom north of the Congo River, a major exporter of copper, ivory and enslaved people.

Related historical states

Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of the Republic of the Congo.

1550–1883

Kingdom of Loango

A coastal trading kingdom north of the Congo River, famed for its cloth and ivory, before it fell under French control.

1970–1991

People's Republic of the Congo

Congo-Brazzaville's Marxist–Leninist state flew a red flag with a crossed hoe and hammer beneath a star — the only avowedly communist state in Africa for much of the Cold War.