Liberia Flag

The flag of Liberia has eleven equal sized horizontal stripes. These eleven horizontal stripes consist of six red and five white stripes that alternate while running down the flag. In the top left hand corner of the Liberia country flag there is a blue square which has a white five-pointed star in the center of it.

What does Liberia flag stand for? The eleven stripes represent the eleven signatories of the Liberian declaration of independence. The red and white colors represent courage and moral excellence. The white star symbolizes the freedom the ex-slaves that were given and the blue square symbolizes the African mainland.

The Liberian flag was enacted on July 26, 1847 after Liberia gained independence. Liberia was first settled by freed American slaves in the early 1800s, naming their country for liberty itself. The country was first recognized as a colony of the United States. For this reason, the flag of Liberia is has some similar qualities to the flag of the United States of America. The flag was designed by seven women. The Liberia flag is seen on quite a few ships around the world, as Liberia offers to other company’s registration under its flag. Shipping companies can do this to avoid taxes and other restrictions that other countries enforce. It is estimated that about 1600 ships fly the Liberian flag as a flag of convenience. This brings in much of the country's revenue. The flag, known as “Lone Star” can be flown both nationally and civilly by its citizens.

In 1822, Monrovia was created for freed slaves under the American Colonization Society. In 1847, Joseph Roberts was elected the first president of the independent Liberia. In 1926, the United States Firestone Company started a vast rubber plantation. William Tubman had leadership of Liberia from 1943 to 1971. In 1980, Samuel Doe issued a military coup and he came to leadership. From 1989 to 1997, a civil war went on in Liberia. This war caused more than 150,000 deaths of its people. In 1997, Charles Taylor was the next president. During Taylor’s term, he traded weapons for diamonds with individuals in Sierra Leone. In 2002, Taylor declared a state of emergency because of fighting with Guinea.

Individuals can find information about the flag of Liberia, or Liberian flag pictures on several different websites available on the internet.