Last modified: 2016-05-06 by antónio martins
Keywords: cabo verde | cape verde | stars: ring | star: 5 points (yellow) | stars: 10 | law | ratio: ambiguous | sea | sky | island | unity | effort | peace | construction | lopes (pedro gregório) | compass | helm | world |
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image by Željko Heimer, 30 Mar 2016
Editorial remark: In 2013, the Government of this country requested that its common name in other languages should be unmodified "Cabo Verde". To conform with this request, the half-anglicized form "Cape Verde" was dully replaced in our pages for all editorial text, such as titles and listings. Previously recieved contributions were kept unchanged.
A new flag was adopted on 22 Sep 1992, when Cape Verde finally severed its links with Guinea-Bissau. The new flag has 10 stars representing the islands, set in a blue sea. Prior to 1992, the similarity between the two nations’ flags was explained by the fact that both were derived from the flag of the Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (P.A.I.G.C.), the liberation movement which succeeded in gaining independence for both countries (Guinea-Bissau in 1974, Cape Verde in 1975). P.A.I.G.C.’s aim had been that the two nations should unite, but this merger was scotched in 1980 by a military coup in Guinea-Bissau.C. Veale, quoting [dev94]
In a letter, dated 19 January 1993 of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, I was told as follows:
The ten yellow stars represent the ten islands. They are in a circle meaning by this way the unity of the whole country and of the people.In the only interview I have ever seen with the designer of the flag of Cabo Verde, Pedro Gregório Lopes, mentions that the ten stars represent the ten islands.
The website of CV embassy in US describes the location of Cape Verde as:
West African archipelago of 10 islands and 8 islets, divided into two groups: Northern Windward (Barlavento): Boa Vista, Sal, Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, and Santa Luzia; Southern Leeward (Sotavento): Brava, Fogo, Maio, Santiago.A quick comparison to a list of inhabited islands tells you Santa Luzia is uninhabited but is counted as an island. Indeed, this is clearly an island; significantly larger than the islets at about half the size of the next larger island, Brava. In fact, Santa Luzia used to be an inhabited island in the past but lost its population in 1960 when living conditions became unfavourable.
There is a relationship between the flags of the
Azores and Cape Verde: Both are Atlantic
archipelagos, both have a Portuguese history and both flags include a
lineup of golden stars representing the islands.
Volker Monterey, 27 Jan 2014
Recognizably in locally used languages, the word "verde"
(as used in the country’s name) does mean "green" — a color
deemed unusuitable for a country where draught is endemic
(«Txuba!»), and where the (blue) sea feeds the people:
That was one of the reasons behind the lack of any green (a would-be
canting element) on the new
national flag of 1992, as explaind by the flag’s designer
Gregório Lopes in
this
interview.
António Martins, 30 Mar 2016
image by Željko Heimer, 30 Mar 2016
The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics
[loc12], with info approved by each
NOC, gives for Cape Verde a vertical flag that
is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees
clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 Oct 2012
image by Željko Heimer, 20 Jan 2005 |
:?
The Constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde (Green Cape Islands), adopted in 1992, defines under its Article 8th the new flag, very different from the previous (which was similar to the Bissau-Guinea flag, for historical reasons), and said by some to be very “unafrican”.
2. The National Flag is made up of five rectangles stacked along its length.
The upper and lower rectangles are blue, being the upper one half of the flag area and the lower one forth.
Separating the two blue rectangles, three stripes each being one 12th of the flag area.
The stripes adjoining the blue rectangles are white and the one between is red.
Over the five rectangles, ten yellow five pointed stars, with the upper apex in the 90 degree position, define a circle which center lies in the intersection of the middle line of the second vertical quarter, counted from the left with the middle line of the second horizontal quarter, counted from the lower edge. The star nearer from this edge is set inside an invisible circle which center lies on the middle line of the lower blue stripe.
Confused? Good — the original is also very “unclear”, to say the least. I’ll try a more clear and concise description:
Over a field of horizontal unequal stripes (from the top: blue, 6 twelfths of the flag’s height; white, 1 twelfth of the flag’s height; red, 1 twelfth of the flag’s height, white, 1 twelfth of the flag’s height; blue, 3 twelfths of the flag’s height), a circle of ten yellow five-pointed stars pointing upwards, with radius of 1/4 of the flag’s height and center 3/8 of the flag’s width from the hoist and 3/8 of the flag’s height from the bottom edge. (Stars’ sizes not specified, neither are the color shades.)
António Martins, 19 May 1997 and 29 Mar 2002
image by Željko Heimer, 29 Jan 2005
I have a specification by William Crampton,
which refers to a diagram and regulations issued at the time of adoption,
and the copy of a diagram which matches this, but, no actual confirmation
that this is actually the diagram to which he referred, and there was,
regrettably, no copy of the “regulations” as such on file. To
make matters even more uncertain, this gives us a third
ratio of 10:17. Whilst I had (and have) the greatest respect for
William’s professionalism, I have none the less attempted to get
some sort of official confirmation, but (as you would expect) without
result.
Christopher Southworth, 20 Jan 2005
As per Crampton’s document Christopher cited: overall ratio
1000:1700, measured along hoist 250+83+83+83+500, along length 638+1062,
stars arranged on a circle of diameter 470 each inscribed in a circle with
diameter 91.
Željko Heimer, 29 Jan 2005
The details of the (unfortunately) unconfirmed specification I have are as follows:
On a flag of 1000×1700 units, the fly is given as 500-83-83-83-250, the distance to the centre of the imaginary circle which places the stars is given as 638 along the length and 275 up from the base, the diameter of that circle is given as 470, with each star contained within an imaginary circle of diameter equalling 91.
There are two slight problems [later fixed] with this when set against the prescriptions of the Constitution:
The figure of 638 is from the hoist to the centre point of the imaginary circle around which the stars are arranged, and almost exactly represents the Constitutional requirement of three-eighths the length (the exact figure on a flag of 1700 units long would be 237.5)? The widths given for the various stripes are indeed clumsy (and as I pointed out previously slightly inaccurate), but this could well be due to somebody — and we hope it was somebody official — having measured an actual flag, but they are (in any case) close enough to the legal stipulation of one-twelfth each for the narrow stripes.
A size of 1000×1700 units is hardly what I, or an other
experienced vexillologist, would choose for a flag whose legal
requirements include 3/8, 1/2 and 1/12, but that is what the diagram uses.
I must agree that a flag 240 units wide (and if we accept 10:17) 408 units
long would be far more sensible, and would give fly measurements of
120-20-20-20-60.
Christopher Southworth, 28 Jan 2005
image by Željko Heimer, 29 Jan 2005
As per Crampton’s document Christopher
cited the circle of stars is too small in accordance with the
(constitutional) requirement that the lowest
star should be in the middle of the blue stripe. This would be
achieved if the diameter would be 500. (In the image above, figures
reduced to 25/6 to achieve reasonable and yet exact numbers.)
Željko Heimer, 29 Jan 2005
Unless any of the authors above can give a source for those values
(which I doubt, considering their disparity), I believe that they are not
the ratio(s) prescribed by a lesser and more detailed law, but rather
(mis)measurements of real flags, manufactured under the legal license of
no fixed ratio.
António Martins, 24 Jan 2001
The size of the stars is also not mentioned in the
Constitution. As all the images I have seen show the
stars somewhat “entering” the red stripe, they must be
inscribed in circles with diameter larger than exactly 1/12 of the
flag’s height, perhaps 1/10 of the flag’s height.
Željko Heimer, 28 Apr 2001
The colours of the flag and the coat of arms of Cabo Verde were specified in the Graphic Design Manual (Manual de Normas Gráficas), which was adopted by Government Resolution 37/2009 of 21 December 2009. The Manual was published in Boletim oficial, I. Série 48 of 21 December 2009. The colours according the Pantone colour scheme are defined as:
I just saw on a large photo taken outside the City Hall of São
Filipe (Fogo island) the national flag of Cape Verde. The stars are
clearly Y+, “dark” yellow (
), with clear
contrast on the white areas.
António Martins, 30 Nov 2003
The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics
[loc12], with info approved by each
NOC, gives for Cape Verde
PMS 293 blue, 032 red, 109 yellow.
Ian Sumner, 10 Oct 2012
Note that the constitutional description only refers
to areas and heights and uses independent horizontal and vertical
measurements; that means that no fixed proportions are specified —
such a description could apply to a 1:2, 2:3, 1:1 or most other flag
formats!
António Martins, 19 May 1997
image by Željko Heimer and
António Martins, 20 Jan 2005
This was also the case of the previous flag:
The Constitutions of both Cape Verde and
Bissau-Guinea prescribed «three equal area
rectangles, one vertical to the hoist and two horizontal to the fly»,
but Cape Verde had a 2:3 flag (each rectangle being 1×2) and
Bissau-Guinea had a 1:2 flag (vertical rectangle 6×4 and horizontal
rectangles 3×8).
António Martins, 19 May 1997
A starless flag pattern is some times used in several Caboverdean quasi
official items, such as national team uniforms
and aircraft livery, but till now I never
saw a real flag.
António Martins, 17 Oct 2007
On these online photos
(#g213,
#g214
and
#g218)
what seems to be a starless variation of the national flag; on these, at the
same location and time
(#g217
and
#g216),
we see that the stars are there…
António Martins, 21 Nov 2006
On line
photo showing a national flag without the ring of stars is shown in use
in a currency exchange rate table in Portugal.
António Martins, 17 Oct 2007
Portugal, the former colonial master, uses a
simplified national flag as its (very “official”) civil and
military aircraft fin flash and rudder
mark, which may (be thought to) exhert some influence.
António Martins, 17 Oct 2007
On
line image showing national flag pattern but with the stars in line on
the blue area in sportsmen uniforms (arguably an “official”
item).
António Martins, 15 Jul 2007
In
this
photo (taken on 2012.02.24 in São Filipe
mun.) we can see a mural painting that shows the national flag as the
backround pattern for slogans, in a kind of grass-root naive political
campagning, painted for the 2011 presidential elections. It shows two
contiguous panels (on the walls of two neighbouring houses), one using the
national flag as described and the other using a red version, i.e.
with the main background of the flag colored in the same hue as the thin
red stripe. I have no idea about its significance, which might have been
merely a matter of «We’ve run out of blue paint!».
António Martins, 30 Mar 2016
.gif)
image by Waldir and TonyJeff, extracted from
Wikimedia
Commons, 05 May 2016
As on the flag, the stars
represent the main islands of Cape Verde; the plumb-bob is symbolic of
rectitude and virtue; the torch and triangle represent unity and
freedom.
Ivan Sache, 21 Jan 2001
Seems that the gathering of these 10 stars in
two equal subsets of 5 is merely an esthetic / geometric choice;
they don’t stand for the the two groups of
islands that make up the country as those comprehend respectively 6
and 4 islands.
António Martins, 30 Mar 2016
The chain links are also found in municipal
emblems, but colored green.
António Martins, 30 Mar 2016
Força Aérea Caboverdiana (formed 1982 — 6 cargo
and light planes) and Guarda Costeira de Cabo Verde (with 1 plane);
the book [cos98] reports a
national flag as fin flash (changed as the
flag changed in 1992). See on line photos with
old
and
new
markings, and the coast guard’s only plane with the
flag-fin flash.
Dov Gutterman, 13 Jun 2004
At the official web site, the emblem
of the Civil Defense of Cape Verde, almost identical to the
Portuguese one, including the basic design of
a blue triangle on orange, as prescribed by the
Geneva Convention. I could not find any
mention to a flag, though, nor shown nor described.
António Martins, 14 Jan 2007 and 26 Mar 2016
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