Flag of Benin

Flag origins

Benin’s flag places a vertical green band at the hoist, with yellow above red on the fly. The government explains its colors through the national anthem, L’Aube Nouvelle, or The New Dawn. Green represents hope for democratic renewal, yellow safeguarding the nation’s wealth and treasures, and red the ancestors’ courage. These are also Pan-African colors associated with African independence and solidarity.

Flag story

Benin’s present flag disappeared from use for fifteen years. Adopted on November 16, 1959, when the country was still Dahomey, it remained in use at independence from France on August 1, 1960. When Mathieu Kérékou’s government embraced Marxism-Leninism, the country became the People’s Republic of Benin in 1975. A green flag with a red star at the upper left replaced the tricolour. Following the transition to multiparty democracy in 1990, the socialist-era design was abandoned. Rather than designing a new flag, Benin restored the 1959 design on August 1, 1990, as the government’s account also records.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Benin — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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