Gabon’s flag—three equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, and blue—was adopted on 9 August 1960 (preceded by a 1959 variant with a French stripe). Green depicts equatorial forests; yellow the equator and national wealth; blue the Atlantic Ocean. Ratio commonly 3:4; legislation and guidance standardize colour references and protocol for state display and half‑masting.
Gabon’s national flag achieved its current form on 9 August 1960, on the eve of independence. An earlier 1959 colonial‑era design added a narrow French tricolour at the hoist; this was removed, leaving three equal horizontal bands—green, yellow, blue—that have endured for decades.
The symbolism is geographic and economic. Green represents the dense equatorial forests that define Gabon’s ecology. Yellow marks both the equator, which crosses the country, and the wealth of the land. Blue signifies the Atlantic Ocean and the rivers that shape settlement and commerce. The uncluttered tricolour reads clearly at distance and on sea and air ensigns derived from the civil flag.
Guidance sets a typical 3:4 ratio and fixes colour references to support consistent manufacture. Protocol addresses precedence with foreign flags, half‑masting on national mourning, illumination when flown at night, and respectful retirement. Worn or defaced flags are withdrawn from service.
The design’s restraint and geographic clarity have spared it from significant controversy or redesign. It appears across ministries, schools, and missions abroad, functioning as a stable emblem of a forested equatorial state on the Atlantic.