Cuba

The national flag of Cuba consists of five alternating stripes (three blue and two white) and a red equilateral triangle at the hoist, within which is a white five-pointed star. It was designed in 1849 and officially adopted May 20, 1902. The three blue stripes represent the three departments in which Cuba was divided at the time the flag design was created, the white purity of ideals, the light; the red triangle, originating from the French Revolution – and the three ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity: red for the blood and the courage; the star was originally included in the flag design as a way of showing the intention of becoming one of the states of the US. Today, the star is said to represent solidarity and independence.