Flag of Ivory Coast

The results of the 1958 French constitutional referendum led to the French Fourth Republic being replaced with the Fifth Republic and the French Union with the French Community, under which most colonies became "autonomous states", including Ivory Coast on 4 December 1958. The new status allowed the adoption of a distinct flag for the first time, in place of the French flag. The orange, white, and green tricolour was adopted by law no. 59-240, passed by the Ivorian Legislative Assembly on 3 December 1959, just before the first anniversary of the country's autonomy. The French commissioner had suggested a red, white, and blue tricolour with stars, but Ivorians wanted a greater departure from the flag of their former colonial ruler. Prime Minister Félix Houphouët-Boigny declared full independence from France on 7 August 1960, and the Legislative Assembly sat as a constituent assembly to draft a constitution. It was retained as Article 29 of the 2000 constitution and Article 48 of the 2016 constitution. == Design ==

The design of the flag is defined in Article 48 of the Constitution of Ivory Coast (2016) as a "tricolour flag of orange, white, and green in vertical bands and of equal dimensions". The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 2:3. Symbolism After the flag was officially adopted on 3 December 1959, Minister of State presented the flag to the Legislative Assembly and gave the following explanation of its significance: The office of the president of Ivory Coast repeats this anecdote and describes it as having "thus defined the meaning of [the flag]". Smith similarly wrote in the Encyclopædia Britannica that the "symbolism of the colours was said to be dynamic national growth (orange), peace developing out of the purity and unity of all citizens (white), and hope for the future (green)". However, when presenting the colours of the flag to the 1960 constitutional assembly, commissioner Mamadou Coulibaly gave a different explanation: Smith describes the added meaning of the savannas and forests as unofficial. The vertical alignment of the bands also symbolises Ivorian youth working towards a better future for their country, under the national motto "Unity, Discipline and Work" (). == Similarity to the flag of Ireland ==

The flag of Ivory Coast is similar to the flag of Ireland, which is the exact same tricolour but reversed (the green being on the hoist side) and with a width-to-length ratio of 1:2 rather than 2:3. In 2014, a Belfast shop hanging the Ivorian flag as part of a FIFA World Cup display labelled it accordingly to avoid confusion with the Irish flag. Conversely, when Ivorian sprinter Murielle Ahouré-Demps celebrated winning gold at the 2018 World Indoor 60-meter dash, for lack of an Ivorian flag to wave, she borrowed an Irish flag from a spectator and reversed it. == See also ==