The flag of Togo (French: drapeau du Togo) is the national flag, ensign, and naval jackofTogo. It has five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow. There is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner. It uses the pan-African colorsofEthiopia, but the design resembles the flag of Liberia, which itself echoes the flag of the United States, making it part of both the pan-African and Stars and Stripes flag families.
 | |
| Use | National flag and ensign |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:φ (golden ratio) |
| Adopted | 27 April 1960; 64 years ago (1960-04-27) |
| Design | Five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; with a red canton bearing a white five-pointed star |
| Designed by | Paul Ahyi |
The flag was designed by artist Paul Ahyi and approximates a golden rectangle closely.[1] Ahyi was regarded as among the greatest of African artists of his generation. Born in Togo, Ahyi graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts[2]inParis in 1959 and returned to Togo. He designed the flag of Togo while working on other contemporary works.[3] The flag was adopted on 27 April 1960, and is still in use. During France's rule over Togo from 1957 to 1958, the flag of French Togo was used. After Togo's independence, the first Flag of Togo was used from 1958 to 1960.
The four colors (green, red, white and yellow) are the pan-African colors.
The colors of the flag are meant to symbolize the following:
The five stripes represent the five regions of Togo.
The sides of the flag of Togo are in the golden ratio φ = 1+√5/2 ≈ 1.618034. As of November 2023, this makes it one of two national flags in active use with an irrational proportion, the other being the flag of Nepal.
| Flag | Years of use | Ratio | Government | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1884–1914 | 2:3 | Togoland Protectorate | The flag of the German Empire was used as the official flag of German Togoland. |
|
1916–1957 | 2:3 | Territory of Togoland | The French tricolor was used as the official flag of French Togoland and, from 1955, the Autonomous Republic of Togo. |
| Autonomous Republic of Togo | ||||
|
1957–1958 | 3:5 | A new flag for Togo was introduced in 1957, consisting of a green field with a French flag in the canton and two five-pointed white stars, one on the lower hoist side and one on the upper fly side. | |
|
1958–1960 | 3:5 | The French flag in the canton of the previous flag was removed in 1958. | |
|
|
1960–Present | 1:φ | Togolese Republic | The current flag of Togo was introduced upon gaining independence from France on 27 April 1960. It consists of five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; with a red canton bearing a white five-pointed star. |
