The Republic of Chad

The National Flag of Chad

The flag of Chad was inspired by the flag of its formal colonial power, France. The flag was instituted in 1959, and retained on independence. It is a simple tricolour flag, with blue, yellow, and red vertical stripes. The choice of blue and red could be from the French flag, with yellow coming from pan-Africanism. Another idea is that the blue was substituted into the mix of pan-African colours in order to really differentiate from Chads neighbours.

Despite many upheavals within Chad since independence, the flag has not been changed. It has no links with any specific group, nor is it tied to Chad's history as a colony. The flag is well and truly linked with Chad as an independent nation.

The blue in the flag officially symbolises hope, the sky, and water. Yellow stands for the sun, and the desert in the north of the country, and the red represents progress, unity, and sacrifice.