Theflag of Haiti (French:drapeau d'Haïti;Haitian Creole:drapo Ayiti) is abicolour featuring two horizontal bands coloured blue and red, emblazoned by a white rectangular panel bearing thecoat of arms of Haiti.[1] The coat of arms depicts atrophy of weapons atop a green hill and aroyal palm symbolizing independence. The palm is topped by theCap of Liberty. The mottoL'Union fait la Force ('Unity makes strength') appears on a white ribbon below the arrangement.
The present design was first used by the Republic of Haiti under PresidentAlexandre Pétion in 1806.[2] It was most recently readopted on 25 February 2012 under Title I, Chapter I, Article 3 of the currentConstitution of Haiti:
L'emblême de la Nation Haïtienne est le Drapeau qui répond à la description suivante:
Deux (2) bandes d'étoffe d'égales dimensions: l'une bleue en haut, l'autre rouge en bas, placées horizontalement;
Au centre, sur un carré d'étoffe blanche, sont disposées les Armes de la République;
Les Armes de la République sont : Le Palmiste surmonté du Bonnet de la Liberté et, ombrageant des ses Palmes, un Trophée d'Armes avec la Légende: L'Union fait la Force.
The coat of arms of the Republic are: a Palmette [sic][a] surmounted by theliberty cap, and under the palms atrophy of arms with the legend: In Union there is Strength.
Contrary to the constitutional mandate, the white field is rarely (if ever) rendered as a square. A rectangle with an 11:9 ratio has been adopted by the Haitian Ministry of Information and Coordination since 1987 or earlier.[4]
The flag ofHaiti is one of six national flags whose designs incorporate a depiction of the flag itself,[5] the others being the flags ofBolivia, theDominican Republic,Ecuador,El Salvador, andVenezuela. Notably,Costa Rica has a state flag which is authorized to be used by the government only, which uses the coat of arms of Costa Rica (which includes two ships each flying the flag of Costa Rica). The flag is one of four national flags ofUN member states to feature agun, the others being those ofMozambique,Guatemala, andBolivia.
The first purely Haitian flag was adopted on 18 May 1803, on the last day of the Congress ofArcahaie, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north ofPort-au-Prince. Haitian lore holds that the newly appointed revolutionary leaderJean-Jacques Dessalines created the flag by taking aFrench tricolor and ripping out the white center, which he discarded. He then askedCatherine Flon, his god-daughter,[7] to sew the remaining bands together. The whitepale removed due to its association with theWhite Europeans, the blue was taken to represent theBlack Africans and the red to represent themulattos. The story is widely known in Haiti: the anniversary of the date is celebrated as theFlag and Universities Day and images of Catherine Flon have appeared on Haitian currency and stamps.[8][9]
Following his proclamation as Emperor Jacques I, Dessalines promulgated a new constitution on 20 May 1805. In it, the colors of the flag were altered to black and red.[10] This flag being subsequently adopted byHenri Christophe, the republicans underAlexandre Pétion returned to the colors blue and red, subsequently turning them horizontal and adding the newly adopted Haitian coat of arms.[citation needed]
During the period of the Haitian Empire ofFaustin I, his coat of arms was used on the flag and for official functions, but it was subsequently abandoned upon his removal from office.[citation needed]
Until 1937, theflag of Liechtenstein was also plain horizontal blue and red. The match was first noted at the 1936 Summer Olympics, and so Liechtenstein altered its flag by adding a golden crown to the canton.[11]
Between 1964 and 1986, the family dictatorships ofFrançois "Papa Doc" andJean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned to Dessalines' black and red design. They included the national coat of arms, but altered the flags in its trophy to black as well. TheDuvalier flag also have a black and red symbol that compared toAngola.[citation needed]
Flag used for the whole island under the Marquis de Caradeu (with supposed powers from the French Assembly), commander of the National Guard of Port-au-Prince
^"Flag and Coat of Arms".Embassy of the Republic of Haiti, Washington, DC. Retrieved17 May 2017.
^abŽeljko Heimer; Armand du Payrat; Zoltán Horváth; Ivan Sache (13 December 1999)."Haiti".Flags of the World. Retrieved17 May 2017.
^Minahan, James. (2010).The complete guide to national symbols and emblems. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Press.ISBN978-0-313-34496-1.OCLC436221284.
^New York Evening Post: "Constitution of Hayti." General Dispositions: Article 20. 15 July 1805. Op. cit. Corbett, Bob.The 1805 Constitution of HaitiArchived 28 December 2005 at theWayback Machine. 4 April 1999. Accessed 12 February 2011.
Fombrun, Odette Roy, ed. (2009).History of The Haitian Flag of Independence(PDF). The Flag Heritage Foundation Monograph And Translation Series Publication No. 3. p. 13. Retrieved24 December 2015.
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