São Tomé and Príncipe’s flag (adopted 5 November 1975) features green‑yellow‑green horizontal bands with a red hoist triangle and two centered black five‑pointed stars. Green denotes forests and agriculture; yellow cocoa and sunlight; red the struggle for independence; the twin stars represent the two main islands—São Tomé and Príncipe. Proportions are typically 1:2 with codified triangle geometry, star size and spacing, and colour references. Usage guidelines cover precedence, half‑masting, and respectful handling on state occasions and missions abroad.
Proclaimed shortly after independence on 12 July 1975, São Tomé and Príncipe’s national flag was standardised on 5 November 1975. Its composition places a red isosceles triangle at the hoist, issuing into three horizontal bands—green, yellow, green—with two black five‑pointed stars centred on the yellow band.
The palette and symbols communicate both geography and history. Green signifies the islands’ equatorial forests, fertile soils, and agricultural base; yellow references sunlight and the export crops that historically sustained the economy—especially cocoa; red recalls the struggle and sacrifice made to secure independence; the twin black stars explicitly name the two principal islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, bound in one republic. The device is distinctive among African flags for its twin‑star motif, immediately signalling a bi‑insular state.
Law and guidance fix the flag’s ratio at 1:2 and lay out construction details to support consistent manufacture: the red triangle’s base equals the flag’s height, the stars’ diameter and spacing are specified, and colour references are given. Protocol covers order of precedence with foreign flags, half‑masting by decree, illumination when flown at night, and dignified retirement of worn banners. Misuse, defacement, or improper commercial treatment is restricted by statute.
Historically, independence‑era prototypes varied in triangle width and star placement before the government issued standard drawings later in 1975. The chosen layout balanced visibility at sea and on shore installations, mindful of the islands’ maritime context in the Gulf of Guinea. The flag appears across ministries, schools, ports, and embassies; in civic instruction the twin stars are emphasised as the graphic shorthand for the country’s dual‑island identity.
Regionally, the colours align with broader pan‑African usage while remaining specifically local in meaning. The red triangle at the hoist—akin to the design seen in neighbouring archipelagic and West African flags—anchors the composition and provides a field for heraldic contrast. The result is a legible, memorable national emblem whose geometry and symbolism have proven durable since adoption.
In practice, the flag is hoisted daily on public buildings, central on national days, and borne by vessels under national registry. Abroad, missions observe host‑nation etiquette and the Vienna Convention’s norms for display. The flag’s educational role—in textbooks and classrooms—helps reinforce knowledge of the islands’ geography, history, and constitutional development, ensuring that the two stars continue to represent unity in diversity.