Gabon - Fact Sheet

The flag of Gabon is a horizontal tricolor of green, yellow and blue. The proportions are 3:4.

According to Devereux (1994), the colours mean respectively the forest, the Equator line (which crosses the country) and the sea.¹

The shield is supported by two black panthers and an okoumé tree symbolizing the timber trade. The ship represents Gabon moving towards a brighter future. The coat of arms is unusual in having two ribbons with mottos in two different languages. The ribbon below the shield has the motto in French 'UNION, TRAVAIL, JUSTICE' ('Union, Work, Justice'). The second ribbon is placed beneath the branches of the okoumé tree and has the motto in Latin 'UNITI PROGREDIEMUR' ('Let us go forward united').

The coat of arms was designed by the Swiss heraldist and vexillologist Louis Mühlemann, one of the founding members of the FIAV and also designer of the former coat of arms of Congo. The panthers symbolize the vigilance and courage of the president who protects the nation. The bezants (golden discs) in chief of the shield symbolize the mineral wealth of the country.²

Title 1

The Republic and Sovereignty

Article 2

(...)

The national emblem is the tricolor flag, green, yellow, blue in three horizontal bands of equal dimension.

(...)

The motto of the Republic is "Union - Work - Justice".

The seal of the Republic is a "Nursing Maternity".³