Flag of Burundi

Burundi flag at Ruyigi Hospital

The original national flag of Burundi (Kirundi: ibendera ry'Uburundi, French: Drapeau du Burundi) was adopted after the Burundian independence from Belgium on 1 July 1962. It went through several revisions and now consists of a white saltire which divides the field into alternating red and green areas. The center of the saltire merges into a white disk, on which there are three red solid six-pointed stars outlined in green. The current ratio is 3:5,<ref name=Worldflags>Template:Cite web</ref> which was changed from 2:3 on 27 September 1982.

Symbolism

The flag is divided into four parts by a white saltire. The upper and lower parts are red in color, while the left and right ones are green in color. The white color of the saltire represents peace, green represents the nation's hopes placed on future development, and red symbolizes the suffering of the nation during its freedom struggle.<ref name="Brittanica" /> The three stars in triangular configuration stand for the three ethnic groups of Burundi: the Hutu, the Twa and the Tutsi.<ref name="Brittanica">Template:Cite web</ref> The three stars also stand for the three elements of the national motto: Ubumwe, Ibikorwa, Amajambere ("Unity, Work and Progress"),<ref name="FlagDB">Template:Cite web</ref> which can be seen on the coat of arms of Burundi.<ref name="World' p. 153">Guide to the Flags of the World by Mauro Talocci, revised and updated by Whitney Smith (Template:ISBN), p. 153.</ref> They also represent the loyalty that the citizens of the nation have pledged to their God, king and country.<ref name="Brittanica" />

Colours

The colours are defined in the constitution as simply green, white, and red. Nowhere does the government document any specific colour shades. For lack of any official standard, the colours used at the 2012 Olympics are shown in the table below.Template:Citation needed

Colours scheme	White	Red	Green
Pantone	White	186 C	361 C
CMYK	0-0-0-0	0-92-77-22	62-0-76-31
HEX	#FFFFFF	#C8102E	#43B02A
RGB	255-255-255	200-16-46	67-176-42

History

Burundi delegates at the 1973 World Festival of Youth and Students with the 1967–82 flag flown upside down.

When the monarchy ruled over Burundi a variant flag featuring a karyenda (a drum said to have divine power) was used.<ref name="World' p. 153"/> It was believed that the drum's messages could be understood only by the mwami (rulers) who made it the laws of the state. Following the abolition of the monarchy in November 1966, the karyenda was removed from the flag and the other flag was adopted soon after. The karyenda was replaced with a sorghum plant which is an important agricultural product of the country.<ref name="Brittanica" />

• 
  Template:FIAV Flag from 1 July 1962 to 28 November 1966 (Drum variant)
• 
  Template:FIAV Flag from 1 July 1962 to 28 November 1966.
• 
  Template:FIAV Royal standard from 1962 to 1966.
• 
  Template:FIAV Flag used on 28 and 29 November 1966
• 
  Template:FIAV Flag from 29 November 1966 to 28 June 1967
• 
  Template:FIAV Flag from 28 June 1967 to 27 September 1982
• 
  Template:FIAV The current national flag, adopted on 27 September 1982 features slightly different dimensions to the 1967 flag

See also

• List of Burundian flags

External links

• Template:FOTW