The following is a list of flags and banners used in Benin.
National Flag
Flag |
Date |
Use |
Description
|
|
1990-Present |
Flag of Benin |
A horizontal bicolour of yellow and red with a green vertical band at the hoist.
|
|
1990-Present |
Flag of Benin (Vertical) |
|
Ethnic Flag
Flag |
Date |
Use |
Description
|
|
?-Present |
Flag of Oduduwa |
a blue-white-green diagonal tricolor band with 16 six-pointed circular golden stars and two thinner diagonal red strips within the middle section. A central red laurel envelopes the Oduduwa Oba's crown symbol of 7 concentric rings. Within the rings is an 8 petal flower representing the pre-Oduduwa societal structure of Yorubaland. On the upper portion of the corona is an endless/Solomon knot representing integrity and nobility or the concept of 'Omoluwabi'.[1][2]
|
Municipality Flags
Flag |
Date |
Use |
Description
|
|
?-Present |
Flag of Cotonou |
a vertical bicolor of blue and yellow with a mermaid in the center.[3]
|
|
?-Present |
Flag of Porto-Novo |
a white field with the arms of the municipality in the center.[4]
|
Political Flag
Flag |
Date |
Use |
Description
|
|
1975-1990 |
Flag of The PRPB |
a red field charged with a five-pointed green star in the top-left canton.[5]
|
Military Flags
Flag |
Date |
Use |
Description
|
|
1960-Present |
Flag of the Benin Armed Forces (Obverse) |
A horizontal bicolour of yellow and red with a green vertical band at the hoist with the name of the armed forces upwards and downwards and a golden border.
|
|
1960-Present |
Flag of the Benin Armed Forces (Reverse) |
reversed version of the previous Flag.
|
|
1990-Present |
Flag of the Republican Police (Obverse) |
A horizontal bicolour of yellow and red with a green vertical band at the hoist with the name of the police force upwards and downwards, the emblem in the center and a golden border.
|
|
1990-Present |
Flag of the Republican Police (Reverse) |
reversed version of the previous Flag.
|
Historical Flags
Flag |
Date |
Use |
Description
|
|
1730-1816 |
Royal flag until the late 18th century (used only in fortresses and warships of the Crown) and national flag from then on |
White with the coat of arms of the Kingdom in the middle
|
|
1750-1816 |
Variant of the royal flag until the late 18th century (used only in fortresses and warships of the Crown) and national flag from then on |
White with the coat of arms of the Kingdom in the middle (variant with a heraldic console encircling the shield)
|
|
1816-1818 |
Flag of Portugal |
White with the coat of arms of the Kingdom in the middle (coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves)
|
|
1818-1859 |
The Royal Flag of King Ghezo of The Kingdom of Dahomey. |
a white field with a red border and an elephant in the center.[6][7]
|
|
1859-1890 |
No Flag |
King Glele was not known to have used any royal flags or banners.
|
|
1890-1894 |
The royal banner of King Behanzin of The Kingdom of Dahomey. |
a light blue field with the coat of arms in the center.[8]
|
|
1894-1959 |
Flag of France (Used in French Dahomey) |
A vertical tricolor of blue, white and red.
|
|
1942-1944 |
Flag of Free France (Used in French Dahomey) |
A vertical tricolor of blue, white and red and The Cross of Lorraine in the center.[9]
|
|
1959-1975 |
Flag of The Republic of Dahomey |
introduced on November 16, 1959, after Dahomey was granted semi-autonomous status within the French Community.
|
|
1975-1990 |
Flag of The People's Republic of Benin |
a green field charged with a five-pointed red star in the top-left canton.
|
References
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State-related | Mobile military | |
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Mobile civil service | |
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Mobile civilian | |
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Other entities | |
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By design
(National, Gallery) | |
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By nations | |
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Names in italics indicate non-sovereign (dependent) territories, disputed states and/or former countries. |