Angola

3×5' nylon national flag of Angola.

Angola's flag adapts one of the most famous emblems of the twentieth century to an African revolution. It was raised at independence from Portugal on 11 November 1975 and comes directly from the banner of the MPLA liberation movement.

Design

Two equal horizontal bands, red over black. Centered across them is a yellow emblem: half a cogwheel, a machete crossing it, and a five-pointed star.

History & Symbolism

Red stands for the blood shed under colonial rule and in the struggle for independence, and black for the African continent. The cogwheel represents industrial workers, the machete the peasantry and the armed struggle, and the star international solidarity and progress. Yellow represents the country's wealth. A new design was proposed in 2003 but never adopted, so the 1975 flag remains in use.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 11 November 1975
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: red, black, yellow
• Emblem: half cogwheel, machete and star

Vexillographer's Note

The emblem is a deliberate echo of the Soviet hammer and sickle: the cogwheel takes the place of the hammer and the machete the place of the sickle, recast as the tools of Angolan work.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864