🇦🇴 The colours of Angola

Angola’s flag uses red, black, and yellow. Red stands for the blood Angolans have shed in conflict and defence, black symbolises Africa, and yellow is for the country’s wealth. The central emblem brings together symbols for workers, farmers, and progress.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• Red symbolises blood shed by Angolans in struggle and defence.
• Black stands for Africa as a continent.
• Yellow in the emblem represents Angola’s wealth.
• The flag’s design is based on the MPLA party’s flag.
• Official standards specify the exact shades for each colour.

The colours of the flag of Angola

The Angolan flag is split into two horizontal halves: red above and black below. Red is meant to recall the blood lost by Angolans in their fight against colonial rule, during the struggle for independence, and in defending their country. Black is a symbol for Africa as a whole. In the centre sits a yellow emblem made up of a machete, a half gear, and a five-pointed star. The machete stands for both farming and the independence struggle, the gear for workers and industry, and the star for progress and unity with other nations. These meanings are set out in Angola’s constitution.

National colours of Angola

Beyond the national flag, Angola’s presidential standard uses the same red and yellow as the flag, with the addition of two yellow olive branches under the emblem. This standard is always present at the president’s residence and on the official vehicle. The government’s manual for national symbols specifies the exact shades for Angola red, Angola yellow, and process black.

How the colours were chosen of Angola

Angola’s flag was introduced at independence in 1975, drawing on the flag of the MPLA, the main liberation movement. The design came from Henrique de Carvalho Santos, and the first flag was sewn by two MPLA members. During the civil war, rival groups used their own flags in areas they controlled. After the war ended, there was discussion about changing the flag, and a new design was proposed in 2003, but it was not adopted. The current flag’s colours and symbols have shifted in meaning over time, moving from a focus on revolution to broader national themes.

Official shades and rules of Angola

Angola’s government manual sets out the official shades for the flag’s colours and the flag’s proportions, which must always be 2:3. The manual also describes how the flag should be displayed, including its position relative to other flags and the times it should be flown. The law protects the flag from misuse, and specific rules cover both physical and digital displays. Any changes to the flag’s arrangement are considered incorrect.