Flag of Angola
The national flag of Angola was adopted on the 11th of November 1975. The Flag of Angola is split horizontally into an upper red half and a lower black half with an emblem resting at the centre. In the centre of the Flag features a half gear wheel crossed by a Machete and Crowned with a Star, all coloured in Gold. The flag reflects that of its ruling political party.
Flag of Angola Design and Colour Scheme
Angola flags are horizontal bicolour of red and black that display a crossed machete and gear with a star between them in the centre.
- The red part of the field originally represented socialism, Modern interpretations instead say that the red section represents the blood that was shed during the nation’s struggle for independence.
- The black portion represented Africa.
- The star was derived from the Soviet Union’s flag, and it was used because the Soviet Union helped to fund the nation’s independence movement.
- The gear was chosen to represent the power of industry and the country’s industrial workforce.
- The machete is a symbol of the nation’s rural workers.
- The yellow colour of the emblem symbolizes the country’s wealth.
The design is derived from the flag that represents the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, which began as a guerrilla movement and transitioned into a political party after the nation became independent.
Brief History about the Flag of Angola
The Angolan flag derived from the flag that represents the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, which fought Portuguese colonial rule and emerged as the ruling party of Angola following the Angolan Civil War. After the successful independence against Portuguese rule and their Military flag became the national flag of Angola in 1975 with slight Modifications, The Military flag featured a star in place of the central Emblem.
The Constitution of 1975 described the red stripe as symbolizing bloodshed during the colonial period, national liberation and a revolution and reference to the revolution were replaced with “defence of the country” in the constitution of 1992. In other changes of wording between the 1975 and 1992 versions, the machete was changed from a symbol of “internationalism” to “international solidarity,” and references to “working class” and “peasant class” were replaced with “workers” and “peasants”.
The most recent alternative flag was proposed by the nation’s parliament in 2003. It featured five alternating bands of blue, white, and red of unequal size and a unique emblem in the centre. The emblem resembles cave paintings that have been found in Angola and were meant to serve as a symbol of the nation’s ancient heritage. However, this was not adopted.