The flag of Haiti ( French: , ht, drapo Ayiti) is the national flag of the

Republic of Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and so ...

. It is a bicolour flag featuring two horizontal bands coloured blue and red, emblazoned by a white rectangular panel bearing the

coat of arms of Haiti The coat of arms of Haiti is the national coat of arms of the Republic of Haiti. It was originally introduced in 1807, and it has appeared in its current form since 1986. Since this Haitian national symbol does not conform to the rules of heraldr ...

. The coat of arms depicts a trophy of weapons atop a green hill and a

royal palm ''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the Cuban royal palm or Florida royal palm, is a species of palm that is native to Mexico, parts of Central America and the Caribbean, and southern Florida. A large and attractive palm, it has been planted ...

symbolizing independence. The palm is topped by the Cap of Liberty. The motto ''L'Union fait la Force'' ("

Unity makes strength "Unity makes strength" ( bg, Съединението прави силата, Săedinenito pravi silata; nl, Eendracht maakt macht, ; french: L'union fait la force) is a motto that has been used by various states and entities throughout histo ...

") appears on a white ribbon below the arrangement.

Present design

National flag

The present design was first used by the Republic of Haiti under President Alexandre Pétion in 1806. It was most recently readopted on 25 February 2012 under Title I, Chapter I, Article 3 of the current

Constitution of Haiti The Constitution of Haiti (french: Constitution d'Haïti, ht, Konstitisyon Ayiti) was modeled after the constitutions of the United States, Poland and France. The latest version of the document was approved by Parliament in March 2011 and came ...

L'emblême de la Nation Haïtienne est le Drapeau qui répond à la description suivante:

The English translation adopted by the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C., reads:

The emblem of the Haitian Nation shall be a flag with the following description:

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. The flag of Haiti is one of seven national flags whose designs incorporate a depiction of the flag itself, the others being the flags of Bolivia, Costa Rica, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

, El Salvador, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. The flag is one of four national flags of

UN member states The United Nations member states are the sovereign states that are members of the United Nations (UN) and have equal representation in the UN General Assembly. The UN is the world's largest intergovernmental organization. The criteria ...

to feature a

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...

, the others being those of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, Guatemala, and Bolivia.

Civil flag

The civil flag and ensign omits the coat of arms.

Colours scheme

History

The first purely Haitian flag was adopted on 18 May 1803, on the last day of the Congress of

Arcahaie Arcahaie ( ht, Lakayè) is a commune in the Arcahaie Arrondissement, in the Ouest Ouest (French for west) may refer to: *Ouest (department), Haiti *Ouest Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of Ivory Coast * Ouest Province ...

, about north of Port-au-Prince. Haitian lore holds that the newly appointed revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines created the flag by taking a French tricolor and ripping out the white center, which he discarded. He then asked

Catherine Flon Catherine Flon (d. ''after'' 1803) was a Haitian seamstress, patriot and national heroine. She is regarded as one of the symbols of the Haitian Revolution and independence. She is celebrated for sewing the first Haitian flag in May 18, 1803 and m ...

, his god-daughter, to sew the remaining bands together. The white pale removed, the blue was taken to represent Haiti's black citizens and the red the ''

gens de couleur In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (plural: ''stirpes''). The ''gen ...

''. The story is widely known in Haiti: the anniversary of the date is celebrated as the Flag and Universities Day and images of Catherine Flon have appeared on Haitian currency and stamps. 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.''New York Evening Post'': "Constitution of Hayti." General Dispositions: Article 20. 15 July 1805. Op. cit. Corbett, Bob.
The 1805 Constitution of Haiti
.'' 4 April 1999. Accessed 12 February 2011. This flag being subsequently adopted by

Henri Christophe Henri Christophe (; 6 October 1767 – 8 October 1820) was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti. Christophe was of Bambara ethnicity in West Africa, and perhaps of Igbo descent. Beginning with ...

, the republicans under Alexandre Pétion returned to the colors blue and red, subsequently turning them horizontal and adding the newly adopted Haitian coat of arms. During the period of the Haitian Empire of

Faustin I Faustin-Élie Soulouque (15 August 1782 – 3 August 1867) was a Haitian politician and military commander who served as President of Haiti from 1847 to 1849 and Emperor of Haiti from 1849 to 1859. Soulouque was a general in the Haitian Army wh ...

, his coat of arms was used on the flag and for official functions, but it was subsequently abandoned upon his removal from office. Between 1964 and 1986, the family dictatorships of François "Papa Doc" and Jean-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. File:Flag of Haiti (1791-1789).svg, Flag of Haitian insurgents during the Haitian Revolution File:Flag of Haiti (1803–1804).svg, Flag from 1803 to 1804 File:Flag of Haiti 1964 (civil).svg, Flag of the Empire of Haiti (1804–1806) File:Flag of Haiti (1806–1811).svg, Flag of the

State of Haiti The State of Haiti (french: link=no, État d'Haïti; ht, Leta an Ayiti) was the name of the state in northern Haiti. It was created on 17 October 1806 following the assassination of Emperor Jacques I and the overthrow of the First Empire of Hai ...

(1806–1811) File:Royal Flag of Haiti (1811–1814).svg, Flag of the

Kingdom of Haiti The Kingdom of Haiti (french: Royaume d'Haïti; ht, Wayòm an Ayiti) was the state established by Henri Christophe on 28 March 1811 when he proclaimed himself King Henri I after having previously ruled as president of the State of Haiti, in th ...

(1811–1814) File:Flag of Kingdom of Haiti.svg, Flag of the

(1814–1820) File:Flag of Haiti (civil).svg, Flag of the

Republic of Haiti (1806–1820) The first Republic of Haiti (french: link=no, République d'Haïti; ht, Repiblik d Ayiti) controlled the southern portions of Haiti from 1806 until 1820. The republic, commonly referred to as South Haiti during its existence, was created on 17 ...

and

Republic of Haiti (1820–1849) Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

File:Flag of Haiti (1849-1859) - Second Empire of Haiti.svg, Flag of the Empire of Haiti (1849–1859) File:Flag of Haiti (1859–1964).svg, Flag from 1859 to 1964, used by the

and the

Republic of Haiti (1859–1957) The Republic of Haiti (french: République d’Haïti, ht, Repiblik d Ayiti) from 1859 to 1957 was an era in Haitian history plagued with political struggles, the period of American occupation and multiple coups and elections until the Duvali ...

File:Flag of Haiti (1964–1986).svg, Flag from 1964 to 1986, used by

Duvalier Duvalier is a French and Haitian surname, and may refer to: * François Duvalier (1907–1971), nicknamed "Papa Doc", President of Haiti 1957–71 * Jean-Claude Duvalier Jean-Claude Duvalier (; 3 July 19514 October 2014), nicknamed "Baby Doc" ( h ...

File:Flag of Haiti.svg, Flag of Haiti (since 1986) File:Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg, Flag during

United States occupation of Haiti The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the National City Bank of New York convinced the President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, to take control of ...

(1915–1934)

Notes

References

External links

* * *
The Armorial of Haiti: Symbols of Nobility in the Reign of Henry Christophe

{{Haiti topics Haiti National symbols of Haiti Haitian culture