The following is a list of flags and banners used in Benin.
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) |
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] |
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] |
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] |
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. |
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. |