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Subnational flags of Cabo Verde

Last modified: 2016-05-06 by antónio martins
Keywords: estandadrte | konsedju | idja | law |
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Subdivisions of Cabo Verde

Cape Verde is divided in 22 municipalities.
António Martins, 05 Apr 2006

Two groups of islands compose the country: Barlavento and Sotavento
Jorge Candeias, 29 Nov 2005

Those groups are composed of respectively 6 and 4 islands.
António Martins, 31 Mar 2016

Official codes for island groups and islands, municipalities, and communes
Island group no flag Island no flag Municipality Commune no flag
B: Barlavento ⤵ 1: Santo Antão 11: Ribeira Grande known flag 111: Nossa Senhora do Rosário
112: Nossa Senhora do Livramento
113: Santo Crucifixo
114: São Pedro Apóstolo
12: Paul 121: Santo António das Pombas
13: Porto Novo 131: São João Baptista
132: Santo André
2: São Vicente 21: São Vicente known flag 211: Nossa Senhora da Luz
0: Santa Luzia (uninhabited: unorganized)
3: São Nicolau 31: Ribeira Brava known flag 311: Nossa Senhora da Lapa
312: Nossa Senhora do Rosário
32: Tarrafal de São Nicolau known flag 321: São Francisco de Assis
4: Sal 41: Sal known flag 411: Nossa Senhora das Dores
5: Boa Vista 51: Boa Vista known flag 511: São João Baptista
512: Santa Isabel
Island group no flag Island no flag Municipality Commune no flag
S: Sotavento ⤶ 6: Maio 61: Maio 611: Nossa Senhora da Luz
7: Santiago 71: Tarrafal known flag 711: Santo Amaro Abade
72: Santa Catarina 721: Santa Catarina
73: Santa Cruz 731: Santiago Maior
74: Praia known flag 741: Nossa Senhora da Graça
75: São Domingos 751: Nossa Senhora da Luz
752: São Nicolau Tolentino
76: São Miguel 761: São Miguel Arcanjo
77: São Salvador do Mundo 771: São Salvador do Mundo
78: São Lourenço dos Órgãos 781: São Lourenço dos Órgãos
79: Ribeira Grande de Santiago proposed flag 791: Santíssimo Nome de Jesus
792: São João Baptista
8: Fogo 81: Mosteiros known flag 811: Nossa Senhora da Ajuda
82: São Filipe known flag 821: São Lourenço
821: Nossa Senhora da Conceição
83: Santa Catarina do Fogo 831: Santa Catarina
9: Brava 91: Brava known flag 911: São João Baptista
912: Nossa Senhora do Monte
Island group no flag Island no flag Municipality Commune no flag
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Municipal flags of Cabo Verde

The article [c9v07] (about one specific municipal flag) refers to the national law that governs subnational emblems, «Decreto-Regulamentar nº 8/2000, de 28 de Agosto, publicado no B.O. nº 25-26 I Série», and quotes it obliquely concerning some interesting aspects, such as the need for the emblem to express simply, and yet powerfully, the uniqueness of each municipality within its island and the whole of the country. It specifies that, since it’s going to be used on a flag, such emblem should be adequately readable at a distance of at least 30 m, condemning an excessive «proliferation of small-sized graphic elements »that« would unavoidably weaken the aesthetic composition and the strength of expression sought from such a symbol». It is not clear, however, how much these guidelines come from this general law on local symbols, or from the conditions previously set by one specific municipality concerning the design of its own emblem, or from the designer’s own thought.
António Martins, 31 Mar 2016

Cape Verde seems to be following basically Portuguese practice in municipal flags with a few changes: a style of municipal emblem that sets it apart from European heraldry (and good for them, because the emblems they are using are quite attractive, unlike most Portuguese coats of arms), and the possibility of having different backgrounds in the banner and the flag.
Jorge Candeias, 10 Mar 2007

Municipal flags in Cabo Verde come in two forms (in what seems to be one more cumbersome burden from Portuguese colonialism), differently designed: One design for a regular flag, used for hoisting, where the municipal emblem shows on a plain color background, and another for rigid display flags (table flaglets, wall penants, parade guidons), which has instead a quartered background.
António Martins, 31 Mar 2016

This photo shows a national teacher’s meeting is held in the Mosteiros town hall, in a room decorated with small hanging triangular flags in different colors and each showing a (different) logo. Could these be the flags of the 22 municipalities Cape Verde is divided in?
António Martins, 05 Apr 2006

Concerning the emblems of municipal flags, a few more are known to us than flags they are used on, for the same reasons of (paradoxally) less visibility of the latter. Likewise, we do know that flags for all of them exist, as the legal frame is the same for both kinds of symbols.
António Martins, 31 Mar 2016

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Design of the emblems

All emblems known to us share some features: They are all round, depicting non heraldic elements inside a disc, have a scroll with the name of the municipality in varying colors below the disc, are surrounded on the upper part of the disc by 10 yellow five-pointed upright regular stars, and, on a apical gap of the said said arc of stars, include a chain with a varying number of links. The links and the stars (standing for the islands) are also present in the national emblem.
António Martins, 07 Sep 2009

Common elements seem to be:

  • the round shape of the shield (so named as these emblems seem to be decreed to be heraldic in nature in the relevant legislation),
  • the presence below the shield of a scroll bearing the toponym, of variable shape and colors,
  • a chain segment above the shield, made of three, four, or five green chain links (standing for the importance/rank of the municipality?),
  • and the 10 golden stars of the national flag, set in two arcs.
These two last elements are also shared by other emblems of official governmental entities, such as the police (both the current P.N. and the previous POP), ultimately inspired in the national emblem itself; the color green for the chain links, though, albeit surely canting for the country name, seems to be found only in municipal emblems.
António Martins, 31 Mar 2016

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Banner version

This is a design for rigid display flags (table flaglets, wall penants, parade guidons), which has a quartered background in contrasting colors, one of them shared with the hoisting flag.
António Martins, 31 Mar 2016

The flag shape estandarte is used in small rigid hanging form. It is known to be shaped as a square or as an irregular pentagon, with one (vertical) symmetry axis, proportioned as a square with an right triangle extending from the bottom (edge line coordinates: (1;1), (1;3), (3;3), (4;2) and (3;1), closed). This seems to be the shape of Capeverdean municipal banners, differing from the respective flags (bandeiras) also by that the former have quartered backgrounds and the latter have them plain.
António Martins, 17 Sep 2007 and 07 Sep 2009

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Background colors

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Color( pair)s of banners
vs. flag colors
WBR
W
74
11
32
41
 
B
71
   
V    
81
R    
82
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Flag use

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Town hall hoisting

On these three online photos of the Mosteiros town hall two of the three flag poles erected are bare, only the national flag being hoisted.
António Martins, 05 Apr 2006

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Colonial era

Some, not all, Portuguese overseas municipalities received arms and flag in the period 1940-1974, after all metropolitan municipalities got one.
António Martins, 15 Jan 2003

Existed a colonial-era municipal flag of Praia, Cape Verde.
Jens Pattke, 25 Mar 2016


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