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Burkina Faso: national flag design details

Željko Heimer, 29 May 2004

Description of the flag
Incorrect depictions

See also:

Burkina Faso

Other sites:

Official governmental site | flag page (in french)

Description of the flag

In [pay00], colour approximations are:

Red: Pantone 032c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M 90 - Y 90 - K 0
Yellow: Pantone 116c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M 10 - Y 95 - K 0
Green: Pantone 355c / CMYK (%) C 100 - M 0 - Y 90 - K 5.

Ivan Sache, 07 Apr 2001

The flag was established by Article 5 of Ordinance No. 84-043-CNR dated 4 August 1984, and was confirmed in Article 34 of the Constitution of 11 June 1991. The construction details were detailed in Presidential Decree No. 97-457/PRES/GC of 30 October 1997 (published in Journal Officiel du Faso No. 45 of 1997), with Article 1 giving the standard sizes of flag and star as follows (the first being a description, the second the size of flag, the third the diameter of the circle containing the star and the fourth the price):

1210 XCF

DESIGNATION,	DIMENSIONS,	DIAMETRE DE L’ETOILE	MATIERE	PRIX UNITAIRE
Drapeau pavoisement	0,80 × 1,20 m	0,27 m	Coton	1650 XCF
Drapeau de Mât	1,00 × 1,50 m	0,34 m	Coton	2029 XCF
Drapeau de Mât	1,20 × 1,80 m	0,40 m	Coton	4950 XCF
Drapeau de Mât	1,60 × 2,40 m	0,54 m	Coton	8250 XCF
Drapeau de Mât	2,00 × 3,00 m	0,67 m	Coton	8800 XCF
Fanion de Table + Franges	16 × 24 cm	5,4 cm	Coton	2750 XCF
Fanion de Table + Franges	16 × 24 cm	5,4 cm	Coton	770 XCF
Echarpe			Coton	5500 XCF
Support de Fanion en bois
Drapeau de Mât	1,00 × 1,50 m	3,4 m	Satin	6600 XCF
Drapeau de Mât	1,20 × 1,80 m	0,40 m	Satin	9900 XCF
Drapeau de Mât	1,60 × 2,40 m	0,54 m	Satin	13200 XCF
Drapeau de Mât	2,00 × 3,00 m	0,67 m	Satin	16500 XCF
Fanion de Table + Franges	16 × 24 cm	5,4 cm	Satin	3025 XCF
Fanion de Table + Franges	16 × 24 cm	5,4 cm	Satin	1650 XCF
Echarpe			Satin	15 400 XCF

These give a size of star as being contained within an imaginary circle equalling one-third the width of the flag. With the above being taken from copies of the relevant documents.

Christopher Southworth, 26 May 2004

A letter (I have on file) from the Secretary General of the Grand Chancellery of Burkina Faso dated 23 April 1996 (the year before the Presidential Decree I quoted previously) gives the same standard sizes of flag but the heading above the size of the stars reads «Diametre du cercle dans lequel est circonscrite l’étoile» which I translate as «the diameter of the circle which circumscribes the star» It also says in this letter that «the centre of the circle curcumscribing the star is in the centre of the flag» which confirms that it is the circle rather than the star itself which is centred.
Christopher Southworth, 26 May 2004

I have a letter of French Attaché dated 12 10 84 with caracteristics of the flag as received from the Great Chancery of the National Order:

Les distances de haut en bas d'une pointe à l'autre sont égales au 1/3 de la largeur du drapeau

(distances from top to base of one point to another are equal to 1/3rd of width of flag).
Armand du Payrat, 17 Apr 2001

This may in fact be correct but worded wrongly so we misinterpret his word literally. (After all how many people is aware of the size difference between the star and its circumscribed circle?)
Željko Heimer, 29 May 2004

Incorrect depictions

In page BU 2.1 (Burkina Faso) of the Album [pay00], Fig 1., the national flag construction details are unfinished. As far as I have seen, the size of the star is not very well defined nor “stabilized”.
Željko Heimer, 11 Jan 2001

Small star incorrect depiction

Album des Pavillons [pay] shows a proportion of 2:3 and a very small star (“diameter” of the star = 1/4th of the hoist length. DK Pocket Book [udk97] shows the same picture. The flag was adopted 4 August 1984.
Ivan Sache, 26 Dec 1999

Big star incorrect depiction

by António Martins, 22 Dec 1999

An image, by Talocci [tal93], shows the flag with a big star — but illustrations in this book are especially non reliable, so I’d prefer trust [pay] and [udk97] for the size of the star.
Ivan Sache, 26 Dec 1999

According comunication of the Comité de Defense de la Revolution to Lucien Philippe en August 1984, the star is slighty larger that the one in [pay] and [udk97]: Image show 1/3 of hoist lenght instead 1/4. But then was not legal regulation. Arms were in use after same date but don’t regulate until 1 August 1997 (Law 20/97). Roman Klimeš gives a larger star (1/2 of the height and slighty displaced to the upper part). The info is in czech but seems that was communicated by official circular («Oficialni cirkular zastupitelskeho uradu z 27.8.1984»). Talocci [tal93] reproduces this flag. But later Roman Klimeš in 38 issue of Flaggen Wappen und Siegel (1997) [fws] features a flag with star 1/4 of height. Source is ordinance 84-043-CNR-Press dated 2-8-1984. I assume that these first communications were inexact and that Ivan is right.
Jaume Ollé, 01 Jan 2000

Theres a bit of confusion about the size of the star because L. Philippe received a communication from Burkina that the star must be 1/3 of the flag. Roman Klimeš published image (seems that 1/3 of the width) and later was followed by Talocci and others. Flagmaster gives 1/3 of the height in issue 45 source L. Philippe. At less according to the real construction (I don’t know official law) star seems to be smaller (3/9th for Flagma