São Tomé and Príncipe

Ilhas de São Tomé and Príncipe / Saint Thomas and Prince Islands

Last modified: 2003-08-21 by antonio martins
Keywords: são tomé and príncipe | star: 5 points (black) | stars: 2 |
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• About the flag

• Subnational flags
• Historical flags
  • 1967 Colonial Flag Proposal
  • Flag proposals in 1974
• Political flags
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About the flag

Flag adopted on 5 November 1975, coat of arms adopted 1977.
Nozomi Kariyasu, Aug 1998

The flag of the republic, although in the pan-African colours, is derived from that of the Liberation Movement, whose flag was adopted in 1972. The only difference is that the Liberation Movement flag had equal horizontal stripes.
Zeljko Heimer, 27 Nov 2000, quoting [cra90f]

Design

The ratio 1:2 and construction details are better expressed as (4+6+4):(7+7+7+7), instead of just (4+6+4):(7+21), as given in the Album [pay00].
Zeljko Heimer, 20 Jan 2001

Constitution of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, approved in March 1990 and effective since September 10, 1990:

Article 13: National Symbols

1. The National Flag consists of three horizontal bars, being green and those of the extremes of equal width, and in the middle, in which are affixed two five-pointed black stars, yellow, being one and one-half times larger than each of the others and by a scarlet triangle, whose base is located on the left side of the Flag. The height of the triangle is half that of the base.
2. [national anthem]
3. [national coat of arms]

Jos Poels, 27 May 1997

The central yellow stripe was 1.5 times broader than any of the green stripes, the red triangle isosceles and its height was equal to a half of the flag height. The center of the left star corresponds with an imaginatory point, situated on the dividing two stripes line 1/3 from the fly and the centre of the right star 2/3 of that line. The proportion is 1:2. It should be noted that the national flag hoisted on July 12, 1975, in São Tomé later sometimes was erroneously substituted by a flag with equal wide stripes. That is for the party emblem of the Democratic Movement of São Tomé e Príncipe.
Mark Sensen, 25 May 1997, quoting from [flm] 96 (March 1984)

Incorrect interpretation

If you follow the description exaclty, the left star comes very close to the triangle. I’ve never seen the stars placed that way.
Mark Sensen, 25 May 1997

It is assumed (and makes much more sense) that the line that is divided in thirds mentioned in the quote is in fact the line from the top of the red triangle to fly end.
Zeljko Heimer, 22 Jan 2001