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Gabon

République Gabonaise

by Mark Sensen

Pre-independence flags
Presidential flags

Pre-independence flags

by Antonio Martins

During less than a year (1959.06.29-1960.08.09), Gabon had a somewhat different flag, according to Crampton's The World of Flags (1990).
Instead of the current 3:4 horizontal tricolor green-yellow-blue, this pre-idependence flag had a french tricolor in the canton and narrower yellow stripe (4 green, 1 yellow, 4 blue).

According to Eve Devereux' Identifying Flags, the french tricoulor was superimposed on the green band.

I've also seen a version with no tricolor in an angolan newspaper of that time, a very skethy black and white hand drawing whith color hatch indications (it could be a mistake).

by Antonio Martins

Still according to Devereux, the colors mean respectively the forest, the Equator line (which crosses the country) and the sea.

Antonio Martins, 30 May 1997

I've seen a picture [can't remember where :-( ] with the Tricolore also partly over the yellow stripe. Did anyone else?
Mark Sensen, 31 May 1997

by Mark Sensen

I haven't. I remember us speculating on the list some time ago that the flag with 4:1:4 stripes, and french tricolore in canton 1:1:1:3 might be origin of 'wierd' 3:4 proportions of GA flag. If so, the tricoloure couldn't reach in the yellow. But, of course, I don't remember if anyone confired the speculation with some evidence.

Zeljko Heimer, 1 Juny 1997

I always find this about the 1959-1960 Gabonese flag:

"The country's original flag was selected in 1959; it's center yellow stripe was one-half its current width, and there was a French Tricolor in the canton."

But I've never actually seen it, neither live or on a color plate !
Can anyone tell me if my interpretation is right ?
Pierre Gay, 17 September 1998

I've been doing some thinking about this on the list some time ago (in OCT- 1996 actually, I am wondering if it shouldn't be on web site until now, but I haven't checked, and since you do not mention it I assume it's not). I am lacking any definite information about it, just as you say yourself, but I have tried to do some "vex-deduction".

Namely, the current flag of Gabon is exceptional in one particular element to all other flags of the region and time, and that is the ratio - 3:4. I tryed to explain it exactly by using the former flag you mention.

One would expect for a former French territory to use now 2:3 flag, but it is not so in Gabon. The vex-books (Smith 1980 for example) state that GA used the same flag with middle stripe thinner (Smith does not say that it was half the current width!), and with french flag in cantion.

Trying to draw such flag you would get something like this as most natural:

upper edge 2:2:2:6 blue-white-red-green
hoist side 4:1:4 blue-yellow-blue

That is, the French tricolour is 4:6 units of above scheme (i.e. 2:3)
You make canton to be half the lenght of the flag, so green part is 6 units long.

Adding the units you get ratio 9:12 i.e. 3:4.

When Gabonaiseian decided to remove the French Tricolore, they simply whidened the yellow stripe to three equal stripes, but they didn't change the overall ratio (probably because none deemed it of importance?).

If this scenario is right, then the old yellow stripe was not half the width of the current, but one third actually.

I do not remember that anyone confirmed my theory back then, but none turned it down also. In any case, I do not see better explanation why the ratio of current flag would be so strikingly odd.

I attach my GIF made back then (in my files it is dated 07-OCT-1996).

Since now we have much bigger circle of vexperts, maybe someone could confirm or deny my speculations about it.

Zeljko Heimer, 20 September 1998

by Zeljko Heimer, 7 October 1996

by Pierre Gay, 22 September 1998

"The blue and gold stripes emphasize that Gabon is a maritime nation through which the equator runs". [smi75c]

The symbolism seems to me much less evident than in the case of Nauru, because of the wide use of horizontal equal tribands in national flags. We could also say: the blue and white bands emphasize that France is a maritime nation through which the Greenwich , sorry the Paris meridian runs :-)

Ivan Sache, 10 May 1999

As far as In remember a project of pre-independence flag of Gabon was the same flag, but with a MUCH NARROWER central stripe (and a French tricolour in the canton, of course).
Sounds like this middle strip was the equator.

JF Blanc, 11 May 1999

President's flag

by Jaume Ollé

Presidential Flag of Gabon since 1990
Jaume Ollé, 8 Dec 1996

Former version of President's flag

by Jaume Ollé

Ratio: 1:1. Source: "The Flags" by Eric Inglefield.

The flag of the president of Gabon is in one detail diferent in W.Smith's book. The flag hoisted on the ship is the Gabonese national flag (it seems to me in 1:2, not 3:4 as it should be). However, it is not blue-white-blue as you make it. Another thing, the sea is fimbriated green in the book, but that may be the effect of overlapping of blue and yellow colour.
Zeljko Heimer, 26 July 1996