View source for Flag of Ivory Coast

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{{Use British English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
| Image = Flag of Côte d'Ivoire.svg
| Use = 111111
| Symbol = {{FIAV|111111}}{{FIAV|normal}}{{FIAV|Mirror}}
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = {{Start date and age|1959|12|3|df=yes}}
| Design = A vertical [[tricolour]] of orange, white, and green
}}

The national flag of [[Ivory Coast]] (or Côte d'Ivoire) is a vertical [[tricolor (flag)|tricolour]] of orange, white, and green, with a 2:3 width-to-length ratio. It was adopted on 3 December 1959 with the passing of law no. 59-240 by the Ivorian [[National Assembly (Ivory Coast)|Legislative Assembly]], and is defined in Article 48 of [[Constitution of Ivory Coast|the country's 2016 constitution]]. It is similar to the [[flag of Ireland]], which is the same tricolour but reversed and with wider proportions.

The symbolism of the flag's colours and layout has been variously interpreted as representing aspects of the country's growth and geography. The [[List of heads of state of Ivory Coast|president's office]] uses the meaning assigned by then state minister {{ill|Jean Delafosse|fr}} in a speech he gave after the flag was adopted. Delafosse stated that orange represents Ivorians' land, struggle, and blood; white represents peace and order; and green represents hope and a better future.

== Adoption ==
The results of the [[1958 French constitutional referendum]] led to the [[French Fourth Republic]] being replaced with the [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth Republic]] and the [[French Union]] with the [[French Community]], under which most colonies became "autonomous states", [[History of Ivory Coast#French colonial era|including Ivory Coast]] on 4 December 1958.<ref name="David 2009">{{cite book|last=David|first=Philippe|title=La Côte d'Ivoire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U89y_qY-B10C&pg=PA36|access-date=5 September 2025|year=2009|publisher=Karthala |language=fr|isbn=9782811101961|page=35}}</ref> The new status allowed the adoption of a distinct flag for the first time, in place of the [[Flag of France|French flag]].{{sfn|David|2009|p=36}} The orange, white, and green tricolour was adopted by law no. 59-240, passed by the Ivorian [[National Assembly (Ivory Coast)|Legislative Assembly]] on 3 December 1959, just before the first anniversary of the country's autonomy.<ref name="presidence">{{cite web |title=Symboles |trans-title=Symbols |url=http://www.presidence.ci/presentation/16/symbole |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131200849/http://www.presidence.ci/presentation/16/symbole |archive-date=31 January 2017 |access-date=5 September 2025 |work=www.presidence.ci |publisher=Office of the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire |language=fr}}</ref> The French [[commissioner]] had suggested a red, white, and blue tricolour with stars, but Ivorians wanted a greater departure from the flag of their former colonial ruler.<ref name="abidjan505165"/> Conversely, the vexillologist [[Whitney Smith]] claimed that, in contrast to neighbouring post-colonial states, Ivory Coast rejected the [[pan-African colours]] of green, yellow, and red for its national flag because of its close ties to France.<ref name="Smith CI">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Whitney |author-link=Whitney Smith |title=Flag of Côte d'Ivoire |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Cote-dIvoire |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |date=2 February 2001 |language=en |archive-date=15 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250715014110/https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Cote-dIvoire |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Flag of Côte d'Ivoire (1960 proposal by Augustin Loubao).svg|thumb|Augustin Loubao's proposal (1960)]]

Prime Minister [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]] declared full independence from France on 7 August 1960, and the Legislative Assembly sat as a [[constituent assembly]] to draft a constitution.<ref name="abidjan505165"/> Legislator Augustin Loubao proposed changing the orange band to red, to symbolise Ivorians' willingness to shed their blood to defend the new republic.<ref name="abidjan505165"/> Other legislators opposed the proposed change,<ref name="abidjan505165"/> and the existing flag was retained in Article 1 of the constitution adopted on 3 November 1960.<ref>{{cite web |date=3 November 1960 |title=Côte d'Ivoire – Constitution du 3 novembre 1960 |trans-title=Ivory Coast – Constitution of 3 November 1960 |url=https://mjp.univ-perp.fr/constit/ci1960.htm |access-date=7 March 2018 |website=Digithèque MJP |publisher=[[University of Perpignan]] |at=Article 1 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=3 November 1960 |title=Constitution de Côte d'Ivoire du 3 novembre 1960 |trans-title=3 November 1960 Constitution of Ivory Coast |url=https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_de_C%C3%B4te_d%E2%80%99Ivoire_du_3_novembre_1960#Article_1 |access-date=7 March 2018 |website=[[Wikisource]] |at=Article 1 |language=fr}}</ref> It was retained as Article 29 of the 2000 constitution<ref>{{cite web |date=23 July 2000 |title=Constitution ivoirienne du 23 juillet 2000 |trans-title=Ivorian Constitution of 23 July 2000 |url=https://www.unesco.org/education/edurights/media/docs/ea778cb20fbdd7a77fe62ae0c85bbd87c0757abd.pdf |access-date=5 September 2025 |via=[[UNESCO]] |at=Article 29 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=23 July 2000 |title=Constitution de Côte d'Ivoire du 23 juillet 2000 |trans-title=23 July 2000 Constitution of Ivory Coast |url=https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_de_C%C3%B4te_d%E2%80%99Ivoire_du_23_juillet_2000#Article_29 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060226224101/http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_de_C%C3%B4te_d%E2%80%99Ivoire_du_23_juillet_2000#Article_29 |archive-date=26 February 2006 |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=[[Wikisource]] |at=Article 29 |language=fr}}</ref> and Article 48 of the [[Constitution of Ivory Coast|2016 constitution]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Koffi |first=Sandra Manuella |title=Indépendance, 65 ans : Comprendre les symboles de la Côte d'Ivoire |trans-title=Independence, 65 years: Understanding the symbols of Ivory Coast |url=https://www.pulse.ci/articles/lifestyle/independance-65-ans-comprendre-les-symboles-de-la-cote-divoire-2025080606450505985 |access-date=11 September 2025 |work=Pulse Côte d'Ivoire |date=5 August 2025 |language=fr}}</ref>

== Design ==
[[File:San-Pédro lors de la CAN 2023 09.jpg|thumb|The Ivorian flag flying alongside those of other countries in [[San-Pédro, Ivory Coast|San-Pédro]]]]

The design of the flag is defined in Article 48 of the Constitution of Ivory Coast (2016) as a "tricolour flag of orange, white, and green in vertical bands and of equal dimensions".{{efn|Translated from French: "{{lang|fr|italics=no|...{{nbsp}}le drapeau tricolore orange, blanc, vert, en bandes verticales et d'égales dimensions.}}"<ref name="loi 2016-886">{{cite web |title=Loi n° 2016-886 du 8 novembre 2016 portant Constitution de la République de Côte d'Ivoire |trans-title=Law no. 2016-886 of 8 November 2016 establishing the Constitution of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire |url=https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2017-05/Ivorian%20Constitution%20of%202016.pdf |via=Constitutionnet.org |publisher=Government of Ivory Coast |access-date=11 September 2025 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 November 2016 |title=Constitution de Côte d'Ivoire du 8 novembre 2016 |trans-title=8 November 2016 Constitution of Ivory Coast |url=https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_de_C%C3%B4te_d%E2%80%99Ivoire_du_8_novembre_2016#Article_48 |access-date=7 March 2018 |work=[[Wikisource]] |at=Article 48 |language=fr |archive-date=22 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622083702/https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_de_C%C3%B4te_d%E2%80%99Ivoire_du_8_novembre_2016#Article_48 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}<ref name="2016 constitution">{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Côte d'Ivoire 2016 Constitution |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Cote_DIvoire_2016 |access-date=6 September 2025 |website=www.constituteproject.org |language=en}}</ref> The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 2:3.<ref name="Smith CI"/> The [[London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games]] (LOCOG) used [[Pantone]] codes PMS 151 for orange and PMS 347 for green in their manual for the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="LOCOG 2012">{{cite book |title=Flags and Anthems Manual: London 2012 |date=2012 |publisher=[[London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games]] |location=London, United Kingdom |url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/32076/files/LOC2012_ITR1201_Flags_Manual_Supplement.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104013349/http://doc.rero.ch/record/32076/files/LOC2012_ITR1201_Flags_Manual_Supplement.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 January 2015 |access-date=5 September 2025 |page=33 |ref={{harvid|LOCOG|2012}}}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Colours of the Ivorian flag according to LOCOG<ref name="LOCOG 2012"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Ivory Coast Flag Color Codes |url=https://www.flagcolorcodes.com/ivory-coast |website=www.flagcolorcodes.com |access-date=6 September 2025 |archive-date=17 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250417014510/https://www.flagcolorcodes.com/ivory-coast |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|FlagColorCodes.com}}}}</ref>
! scope="col" |
! scope="col" style="background:#FF8200; color:white" | Orange
! scope="col" style="background:#FFFFFF" | White
! scope="col" style="background:#009A44; color:white" | Green
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:right" | [[CMYK color model|CMYK]]
| 0/70/100/0
| 0/0/0/0
| 77/20/95/4
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:right" | [[Hexadecimal]]
| #FF8200
| #FFFFFF
| #009A44
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Pantone]]
| 151
| N/A
| 347
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:right" | [[RGB color model|RGB]]
| 255/130/0
| 255/255/255
| 0/154/68
|}

=== Symbolism ===
After the flag was officially adopted on 3 December 1959, Minister of State {{ill|Jean Delafosse|fr}} presented the flag to the Legislative Assembly and gave the following explanation of its significance:

{{Text and translation
| {{lang|fr|L'Emblème National doit être le vivant Symbole de la Patrie. L'Orange rappelant la couleur de notre terre riche et généreuse, c'est le sens de notre lutte, le sang d'un peuple jeune dans sa lutte pour notre émancipation; le Blanc, la paix, mais la paix du droit; le Vert, l'espérance, certes pour d'autres, mais pour nous, la certitude d'un devenir meilleur.}}<ref name="presidence"/><ref name="5Symboles">{{cite web |title=5 Symboles de la République |trans-title=5 Symbols of the Republic |url=https://www.fonctionpublique.gouv.ci/assets/rubriques/_documentation/5_Symboles_Republique_CI2018.pdf |date=2018 |publisher=Ministry of Public Service (Ivory Coast) |access-date=5 September 2025 |language=fr |archive-date=12 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412063118/https://www.fonctionpublique.gouv.ci/assets/rubriques/_documentation/5_Symboles_Republique_CI2018.pdf |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|Ministry of Public Service (Ivory Coast)|2018}}}}</ref>
| The national [flag] must be the living symbol of the fatherland: orange recalling the colour of our rich and generous land, it is the meaning of our struggle, the blood of a young people in its struggle for our emancipation; white, peace, but the peace of law; green, hope, certainly for others, but for us, the certainty of a better future.
}}

The office of the [[List of heads of state of Ivory Coast|president of Ivory Coast]] repeats this anecdote and describes it as having "thus defined the meaning of [the flag]".<ref name="presidence"/> Smith similarly wrote in the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' that the "symbolism of the colours was said to be dynamic national growth (orange), peace developing out of the purity and unity of all citizens (white), and hope for the future (green)".<ref name="Smith CI"/> However, when presenting the colours of the flag to the 1960 constitutional assembly, commissioner Mamadou Coulibaly gave a different explanation:

{{Text and translation
| {{lang|fr|La bande Orange exprime l'éclat de l'épanouissement national, en même temps qu'elle fait penser aux Savanes du Nord. La bande Blanche magnifie la paix dans la pureté et l'union des cœurs et est le gage de notre succès et la bande Verte, expression de notre espérance dans l'avenir rappelle la luxuriante forêt vierge de Côte d'Ivoire, première grande source de la prospérité nationale.}}<ref name="abidjan505165">{{cite news |date=6 August 2014 |title=An 54 de la Côte d'Ivoire : chronique du drapeau tricolore ivoirien |trans-title=Year 54 of Ivory Coast: Chronicle of the Ivorian tricolor flag |url=https://news.abidjan.net/articles/505165/an-54-de-la-cote-divoire-chronique-du-drapeau-tricolore-ivoirien |url-status=live |access-date=5 September 2025 |work=Abidjan.net |language=fr |archive-date=23 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123182807/https://news.abidjan.net/articles/505165/an-54-de-la-cote-divoire-chronique-du-drapeau-tricolore-ivoirien }}</ref>
| The orange band expresses the brilliance of national blossoming, while also serving as a reminder of the [[Sudanian savanna|northern savannas]]. The white band glorifies peace in the purity and union of hearts, and is the pledge of our success; and the green band, expression of our hope for the future, recalls the [[Eastern Guinean forests|luxuriant virgin forest]] of Ivory Coast, the first great source of national prosperity.
}}

Smith describes the added meaning of the savannas and forests as unofficial.<ref name="Smith CI"/> The vertical alignment of the bands also symbolises Ivorian youth working towards a better future for their country, under the [[national motto]] "Unity, Discipline and Work" ({{lang|fr|L'Union, la Discipline et le Travail}}).<ref name="abidjan505165"/><ref name="Smith CI"/>

== Similarity to the flag of Ireland ==
[[File:Flags of Ivory Coast and Ireland.png|right|thumb|Contrasting flags: the flag of Ireland on the left and the flag of Ivory Coast on the right.]]
The flag of Ivory Coast is similar to the [[flag of Ireland]], which is the exact same tricolour but reversed (the green being on the [[Hoist (flag)|hoist side]])<ref>{{cite news |last=Devlin |first=Emma |title=Irish flag vs Ivory Coast flag: The difference |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/irish-flag-ivory-coast-flag-confused |access-date=11 September 2025 |work=IrishCentral.com |date=7 October 2024 |orig-date=2017 |language=en}}</ref> and with a width-to-length ratio of 1:2<ref>{{cite web |date=2019 |title=Department of the Taoiseach – The National Flag – Guidelines |url=https://assets.gov.ie/2949/151118153516-096a94ba6955435cae965414f7667104.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213202756/https://assets.gov.ie/2949/151118153516-096a94ba6955435cae965414f7667104.pdf |archive-date=13 February 2020 |access-date=13 February 2020 |website=assets.gov.ie |page=7}}</ref><ref name="Smith ROI">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Whitney |author-link=Whitney Smith |title=Flag of Ireland |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Ireland |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |date=9 February 2001 |language=en |archive-date=25 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250725122841/https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Ireland |url-status=live }}</ref> rather than 2:3.<ref name="Smith CI"/> Due to the similarity of the two flags, [[Ulster loyalism|Ulster loyalists]] in [[Northern Ireland]] have sometimes [[Flag desecration|desecrated]] the Ivorian flag, mistaking it for the Irish flag. For example, during Ulster celebrations of [[the Twelfth]] in 2013, large Ivorian flags were burned in a [[bonfire]] in [[Belfast]] instead of Irish ones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.joe.ie/news/what-have-the-ivory-coast-ever-done-to-deserve-this-353431|title=What have the Ivory Coast ever done to deserve this?|website=[[Joe (website)|JOE.ie]]|date=12 July 2013|access-date=9 July 2019|archive-date=9 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709044954/https://www.joe.ie/news/what-have-the-ivory-coast-ever-done-to-deserve-this-353431|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Patrick |date=12 July 2013 |title=Loyalists ask us to respect their flag as they burn everyone else's? |url=http://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/patrickroberts/loyalists-ask-us-to-respect-their-flag-as-they-burn-everyone-elses-215221501-238243931.html |website=IrishCentral.com |access-date=10 September 2025}}</ref> In 2014, a Belfast shop hanging the Ivorian flag as part of a [[2014 FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup]] display labelled it accordingly to avoid confusion with the Irish flag.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McLysaght |first=Emer |date=13 June 2014 |title=Belfast shop insists it's displaying Ivory Coast flag, NOT Ireland flag |url=https://www.dailyedge.ie/linfield-belfast-flag-ivory-coast-1514889-Jun2014/ |website=[[TheJournal.ie|The Daily Edge]] |access-date=9 July 2019 |archive-date=9 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709044956/https://www.dailyedge.ie/linfield-belfast-flag-ivory-coast-1514889-Jun2014/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Conversely, when Ivorian sprinter [[Murielle Ahouré-Demps]] celebrated winning gold at the [[2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 60 metres|2018 World Indoor 60-meter dash]], for lack of an Ivorian flag to wave, she borrowed an Irish flag from a spectator and reversed it.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 March 2018 |title=Quick-thinking Irish fans come to the rescue of victorious Ivory Coast star at World Indoor Athletics Championships |url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/athletics/quickthinking-irish-fans-come-to-the-rescue-of-victorious-ivory-coast-star-at-world-indoor-athletics-championships-36669933.html |access-date=6 March 2018 |work=[[Irish Independent]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Coat of arms of Ivory Coast]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Flags of Ivory Coast}}
* {{FOTW|id=ci|title=Côte d'Ivoire}}

{{Africa topic|Flag of|title=[[Flags of Africa]]}}

{{Ivory Coast topics}}

[[Category:Flags introduced in 1959|Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:National symbols of Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:Flags of Africa|Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:National flags|Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:Tricolor flags|Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:Vertically symmetrical flags|Ivory Coast]]