Flag of Burundi

Meaning and history of the flag of Burundi

The flag of Burundi shows a white saltire, or St. Andrew's cross, dividing the field into four triangles, red at top and bottom and green on the sides. At the center sits a white disc bearing three red six-pointed stars edged in green, arranged in a triangular pattern. Red symbolizes the struggle for independence, green stands for hope, and white for peace.

The three stars represent the three words of the national motto, 'Unité, Travail, Progrès' (Unity, Work, Progress), and also refer to the country's three main ethnic groups: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The flag was adopted on June 28, 1967, a slight modification of the original 1962 design, which had featured a traditional drum, the karyenda, in place of the stars. The drum was removed because of its association with the deposed monarchy.

The saltire-and-central-disc design is relatively unusual among the world's national flags, which makes Burundi's flag easy to recognize. Pairing the Pan-African colors with white as a symbol of peace carries special weight in a country that has endured devastating ethnic conflict throughout its history. The six-pointed stars, rather than the more common five-pointed kind, are another distinctive feature of this Central African flag.

You can view the flag of Burundi in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Burundi profile, its map, or the current local time in Gitega.