Costa Rica’s flag—blue, white, broad red, white, blue—derives from an 1848 design inspired by the French Tricolour; the present standard was codified in 1906. Blue denotes sky, perseverance, and opportunity; white peace and wisdom; red the warmth and blood shed for freedom. The state flag bears the coat of arms on the red stripe; civil flags omit it.
Costa Rica’s modern national flag took shape in 1848 under President José María Castro Madriz, reportedly designed by Pacífica Fernández and inspired by the French Tricolour’s republican palette. The layout consists of five horizontal bands—blue, white, a double‑height red centre, then white and blue—set at a 3:5 proportion and legally codified in 1906 with subsequent refinements to the arms.
Public readings assign blue to the sky, perseverance, and idealism; white to peace, wisdom, and happiness; and red to the warmth and the blood shed in defence of liberty. For state use, the coat of arms appears within a white ellipse on the red stripe toward the hoist: three volcanoes and a valley between two oceans with merchant ships, a rising sun for prosperity, and seven stars for the provinces. The arms’ artwork was adjusted in 1848, 1906, and 1964 to reflect territorial and heraldic updates.
Statutes distinguish the state flag (with arms) from the civil flag (plain stripes), regulate colour values, placements, and permitted manufacturers, and prescribe contexts of display in ministries, courts, schools, and diplomatic missions. Protocol covers precedence with foreign flags, half‑masting for mourning, nighttime illumination, and dignified retirement of worn flags. Pupils learn handling and salutes during weekly ceremonies, and the banner is prominent on 15 September (Independence Day) and 25 July (Annexation of Guanacaste).
Over more than a century, small graphic clarifications ensured uniform production while the overall scheme remained unchanged. The result—a bold central red framed by cool blue and white—pairs immediate legibility with a narrative that connects Costa Rica’s republican ideals to its geography between two seas.