🇨🇷 The colours of Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s flag features blue, white, and red stripes. Blue stands for the sky and spiritual ideals, white for peace and clear thinking, and red for the warmth and independence of its people. These colours reflect the values of freedom, equality, and brotherhood inspired by the French Revolution.

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

• The flag’s colours reflect the ideals of the French Revolution.
• The red stripe is twice as wide as the blue or white stripes.
• Blue symbolises the sky and spiritual aspirations.
• Red stands for the warmth and generosity of Costa Ricans.
• The flag’s design was suggested by the president’s wife in 1848.

The colours of the flag of Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s flag has five horizontal stripes: blue at the top and bottom, white inside those, and a central red stripe that is twice as wide as each of the others. Blue represents the sky, perseverance, and spiritual ideals. White stands for clear thinking, happiness, and peace. Red is for the warmth, love of life, and the sacrifices made for freedom by Costa Ricans. These meanings are officially stated and are linked to the ideals of the French Revolution: freedom, equality, and brotherhood.

How the colours were chosen of Costa Rica

Before independence, Costa Rica used Spanish colonial flags. After joining the Federal Republic of Central America, it adopted that union’s blue and white flag, sometimes with its own seal. When the federation dissolved, Costa Rica briefly used a white-blue-white flag. In 1848, Pacífica Fernández Oreamuno, inspired by France’s 1848 revolution, suggested adding a red stripe, creating the current flag. The only changes since then have been updates to the coat of arms used on the government version.

Official shades and rules of Costa Rica

The flag’s design is set by law: five horizontal stripes with the central red stripe twice as wide as the blue and white stripes. The state flag includes the national coat of arms, which has been updated over time. No official colour codes are given in the sources.