Flag of Upper Volta
Encyclopedia
Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France.Thomas Sankara came to power...
was a horizontal tricolour
Tricolour
A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...
of black, white and red which derive from the three main rivers: The Black Volta
Black Volta
Black Volta or Mouhoun is a river of western Africa rising in western Burkina Faso and flowing about 1,352 km to the White Volta in Ghana. The Black Volta forms a small part of the boundary between Ghana and Ivory Coast, and also a section of border between Ghana and Burkina Faso.-See also:*Deux...
, White Volta
White Volta
The White Volta, also known as the Nakambe River, is the headstream of the Volta River in West Africa. It originates in Burkina Faso and it flows into Lake Volta in Ghana. Its main tributaries are the Black Volta and the Red Volta....
and the Red Volta
Red Volta
The Red Volta or Nazinon is a river in Burkina Faso. The river originates near Ouagadougou and flows about 320 km to join the White Volta....
. This flag was adopted on December 9, 1959. The flag resembles that of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, which was abolished in 1918.
The flag was changed when Upper Volta became Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
on 4 August 1984.