Two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band. Like the former flag of Cape Verde, the flag is based on that of the Partido Africano para a Independencia da Guine e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), still the dominant party in Guinea-Bissau. The party flag was derived from that of Ghana, which first used the Pan-Afrikan combination of red, yellow, green, and black in 1957. The flag features the traditional Pan-Afrikan colors of gold, green, red, and also the Black Star of Afrika. The colors have the same meanings: specifically, the red is for the blood of martyrs, green for forests, gold for mineral wealth, and black for the unity of Afrika.
