Civil Flag of the Dominican Republic (1863)

Formerly called Santo Domingo by Spanish colonisers in the 15th century, the Dominican Republic occupies the western two thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti.

From initial colonisation until independence, the colonial rulers of the Dominican Republic changed a number of times. At one stage the Dominican Republic even found itself governed by neighbouring Haiti.

Independence was finally achieved on the 27th of February 1844, with Santo Domingo officially changing its name to the Dominican Republic and adopting its first national flag. The current flag dates from the 14th of September 1863, but is based on the same basic design adopted at independence.

A leader of the Trinitarians, the liberation movement that led the fight for Dominican Republic independence, conceived the original flag design. It is an adaptation of the Haitian flag (horizontal stripes of red and blue), with the addition of a centrally placed white cross and switched colour in the two quarters at the fly. 

The Dominican Republic also has a state flag, which features the national coat of arms placed in the centre of the white cross. 

The current state flag was adopted on the 14th of September 1863.

The Symbolic Meaning

Historically the colours of red and blue were adopted from the Haitian flag and the white cross initially highlighted the Catholic faith of the Trinitarians and the Dominican people.

In modern times, the red represents the blood spilt for independence, the blue symbolises the ideals of the nation and the protection of God. White stands for peace and unity of the country, while the cross represents the country's struggle for independence.