While there is no country today that has a yellow star against a light blue background, there are a few flags that employ one or more yellow flags against a light blue background, regardless of whether the flag includes other colors or designs. The countries with such flags are:
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ethiopia
- South Sudan
- Tuvalu
Read on to learn more about the flags of each of these nations and the history and symbolism of each.
Flag 1: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
The flag of the DRC has a field of sky blue, with a five-pointed yellow star in the upper left corner and a yellow and red stripe that spans diagonally from the bottom left of the flag to the top right corner.
The DRC’s flag became the national flag on February 16, 2006. The blue background represents peace; the red for the blood of the martyrs; yellow for the country’s material and natural wealth; and the yellow star for representing hope for the country’s future.
From 1877 to 1960, the flag of the DRC was a plain blue field with a yellow star in the flag’s center. While the country went through different names during this time – Association Internationale Africaine (1877 – 1885); the Congo Free State (1885 – 1908); and the Belgian Congo (1908 – 1960) – their flag remained the same.
Flag 2: Ethiopia
The east African nation of Ethiopia has a tri-colored background with three horizontal bands of equal width in the colors green, yellow, and red. In the center of the flag is a large, light blue disc with a hollow, yellow, five-pointed star in its center.
The blue disc and yellow star in the flag’s center were previously used only as a government emblem, and Ethiopia broke tradition by incorporating their government emblem in a national flag.
After 2009, the blue disc was modified to a darker shade of blue in lieu of its previous light blue color.
Flag 3: South Sudan
South Sudan has three black, red, and green horizontal stripes of equal width separated by thin white stripes. A blue equilateral triangle with a yellow, five-pointed star adorns the flag’s left border.
The blue triangle represents the Nile River, which runs through the country, and the yellow star symbolizes unity of the people and hope for the future. The flag became South Sudan’s national flag on July 9, 2005.
South Sudan’s flag is unique in that it is older than the country. The flag was designed and adopted in 2005, but South Sudan didn’t become an independent nation until 2011.
Flag 4: Tuvalu
This island nation is an Oceanic microstate in the South Pacific and the only non-African nation to include a yellow, five-pointed star against a light blue background.
Tuvalu’s flag consists of a field of light blue with nine yellow stars (each with five points) the lower right corner, which represent the nine islands that make up Tuvalu. Like most island nations that were once British colonies, Tuvalu’s flag incorporates the Union Jack in the upper left corner.
Tuvalu’s flag became the national flag in 1997.
