This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website

São Tomé and Príncipe

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

Last modified: 2023-08-12 by ian macdonald
Keywords: são tomé and príncipe | star: 5 points (black) | stars: 2 |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors



Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe CSW/CSW 1:2 image by Željko Heimer, 09 January 2003


See also:


About the flag

The Album 2000 [pay00] says: green-yellow-green triband with red triangle next to hoist and two black five-pointed stars in the yellow stripe.
Željko Heimer, 09 January 2003

Flag adopted on 5 November 1975, coat of arms adopted 1977.
Nozomi Kariyasu, August 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 November 2000, quoting [cra90f]


Design

Construction sheet of Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe image by António Martins and Željko Heimer, 16 February 2007

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 January 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)

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be.
For São Tomé and Príncipe, PMS PMS 355 green, 032 red, 109 yellow and black. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise
Ian Sumner, 11 October 2012


Incorrect interpretation

incorrect star design image by Mark Sensen, 25 May 1997

If you follow the description exactly, 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 January 2001


Air Force symbols

According to [cos98], reports (without an image) that only recently a 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'm quite familiar 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 aircraft» is exactly one An-32. My guess is that it flies with civil markings and maybe the national flag as fin flash, but until someone will go there and take a photo of it, we will still be in the dark.
Dov Gutterman, 16 June 2004