Flag of Costa Rica

Facts about the Flag of Costa Rica

1. The blue and white bands come from the flag of the Federal Republic of Central America; the red band was added in 1848 under the influence of the French Revolution, which also gave the country its republican constitution that year.
2. The civil flag has no coat of arms. The version with the arms is the state flag, and the arms themselves were redrawn in 1998 to show seven stars for seven provinces.
3. Costa Rica abolished its army in 1949, so the flag has never flown over a standing military — unusual among the countries whose flags carry a martial red.
4. The flag of Costa Rica was officially adopted on September 29, 1848. It was designed by Pacifica Fernández.
5. The flag in its present form is 178 years old as of 2026.
6. Design type: Five horizontal bands, with the coat of arms on the state flag.
7. The official proportions are 3:5. It shares that ratio with 19 national flags.
8. The flag uses 3 colours: blue, white and red.
9. The blue on the flag stands for the sky, opportunity and perseverance.
10. The white on the flag stands for peace, wisdom and happiness.
11. The red on the flag stands for the warmth of the people and the blood shed for freedom.
12. Red central band: Added under the influence of the French Revolution.
13. Coat of arms: Three volcanoes, two oceans and seven stars for the seven provinces, shown on the state flag only.
14. The design belongs to the "Horizontal multi-band" family, shared with 4 other flags in this reference.
15. Flags most often confused with it: Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Suriname.
16. Costa Rica became independent on 15 September 1821 from Spain.
17. Football is by far the most popular sport.
18. The national animal is the white-tailed deer.