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Flag ratio: 3:5
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Haiti_(civil).svg.png)
Civil flag. Flag ratio: 3:5
The flag of Haiti was adopted on February 25, 1986. The flag is divided into two rectangles going across horizontally. The top half is blue and the bottom is red. Since 1843 the flag for official and state use has had the coat of arms of Haiti on a white panel in the center. The coat of arms depicts a trophy of weapons ready to defend freedom, and a royal palm for independence. The palm is topped by the Cap of Liberty. The national motto is on a white scroll reading L'Union Fait La Force ("Unity Makes Strength"). The civil flag and ensign lacks the emblem.
The blue and red of the flag were retained after a French Tricolore was torn up by the revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1803. The two parts were stitched together horizontally to make a new flag.
At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, it was found that Haiti and Liechtenstein were using the same flag, which led to a crown's being added to the flag of Liechtenstein.
A rival flag of vertical black and red panels was used at various times, most recently in the period from May 25, 1964 to February 25, 1986, during the family dictatorship of François and Jean-Claude Duvalier.
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