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São Tomé and Príncipe

Ilhas de São Tomé and Príncipe / Saint Thomas and Prince Islands

Last modified: 2005-12-24 by antonio martins
Keywords: são tomé and príncipe | star: 5 points (black) | stars: 2 |
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Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe
image by Željko Heimer, 09 Jan 2003
See also:

About the flag

The Album 2000 [pay00] says:

1. National Flag. CSW/CSW 1:2
Green-yellow-green triband with red triangle next to hoist and two black five-pointed stars in the yellow stripe.
Željko Heimer, 09 Jan 2003

Flag adopted on 5 November 1975, coat of arms adopted 1977.
Nozomi Kariyasu, Aug 1998

The flag of the republic, although in the pan-African colours, is derived from that of the Liberation Movement, whose flag was adopted in 1972. The only difference is that the Liberation Movement flag had equal horizontal stripes.
Željko Heimer, 27 Nov 2000, quoting [cra90f]

Design

Construction sheet of Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe
image by António Martins and Željko Heimer, 19 Nov 2000

The ratio 1:2 and construction details are better expressed as (4+6+4):(7+7+7+7), instead of just (4+6+4):(7+21), as given in the Album [pay00].
Željko Heimer, 20 Jan 2001

Constitution of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, approved in March 1990 and effective since September 10, 1990:

Article 13: National Symbols
  1. The National Flag consists of three horizontal bars, being green and those of the extremes of equal width, and in the middle, in which are affixed two five-pointed black stars, yellow, being one and one-half times larger than each of the others and by a scarlet triangle, whose base is located on the left side of the Flag. The height of the triangle is half that of the base.
  2. [national anthem]
  3. [national coat of arms]

Jos Poels, 27 May 1997

The central yellow stripe was 1.5 times broader than any of the green stripes, the red triangle isosceles and its height was equal to a half of the flag height. The center of the left star corresponds with an imaginatory point, situated on the dividing two stripes line 1/3 from the fly and the centre of the right star 2/3 of that line. The proportion is 1:2. It should be noted that the national flag hoisted on July 12, 1975, in São Tomé later sometimes was erroneously substituted by a flag with equal wide stripes. That is for the party emblem of the Democratic Movement of São Tomé e Príncipe.
Mark Sensen, 25 May 1997, quoting from [flm] 96 (March 1984)

Incorrect interpretation

incorrect star design
image by Mark Sensen, 25 May 1997

If you follow the description exaclty, the left star comes very close to the triangle. I’ve never seen the stars placed that way.
Mark Sensen, 25 May 1997

It is assumed (and makes much more sense) that the line that is divided in thirds mentioned in the quote is in fact the line from the top of the red triangle to fly end.
Željko Heimer, 22 Jan 2001


No Air Force symbols

According to [cos98], reports (with out an image) that only recently small number of aircraft was obtained and «there are reports of those being marked with a roundel version of the national flag: red, yellow and green with two black stars». I quite familliar with [cos98]’s phrase «there are reports» so I will consider those “reports” with utmost caution. What I have learned from the Russian Aviation site is that the «small number of aircrafts» is extacly one An-32. My guess that it fly with civil markings and maybe national flag as fin flash, but until someone will be there and take a photo of it, we will still be in the dark.
Dov Gutterman, 16 Jun 2004