What does the Cuban flag mean?

Three blue stripes for the three departments the island was divided into, two white stripes for the purity of the patriot cause, a red equilateral triangle for liberty, equality and fraternity — and for the blood independence would cost — and a single white five-pointed star for one free state. Cubans call it la bandera de la estrella solitaria: the flag of the Lone Star.

Who designed the flag of Cuba, and when?

It was made in New York in 1849 by Cuban exiles: Narciso López conceived it, Miguel Teurbe Tolón drew it, and Emilia Teurbe Tolón sewed the first one. It was first raised on Cuban soil on 19 May 1850 at Cárdenas, in Matanzas province.

Why do the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico look the same?

Because one was modelled on the other. Puerto Rico's Revolutionary Committee, exiled in the same city, adopted Cuba's design in 1895 with the colours transposed — Cuba has blue stripes and a red triangle, Puerto Rico red stripes and a blue triangle. The likeness is a statement of shared cause, not an accident.

When did Cuba adopt its flag?

On 20 May 1902, when it was raised over El Morro in Havana at the founding of the Republic — 52 years after it was first flown at Cárdenas. The design itself was never changed; only the exact shade of blue was fixed later, by decree in 1906.

What are the colours of the Cuban flag?

Blue, white and red. Five horizontal stripes alternate blue and white, starting and ending with blue, and a red equilateral triangle sits at the hoist carrying a white five-pointed star. The flag's proportions are 1:2.

What is the red and black flag flown in Cuba?

That is the flag of the 26th of July Movement, named after the 1953 assault on the Moncada barracks. It is a historical and political emblem, not a national one, and it flies alongside — never instead of — the flag of Cuba.

Is there a law about using the Cuban flag?

Yes. Ley No. 128 of 2019, the Law of National Symbols, defines the flag, the anthem and the coat of arms, and regulates how each may be made, used, honoured and preserved. It is the reason flag etiquette is noticeably stricter in Cuba than in many countries.

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Cuba explained · National symbols

The Flag of Cuba

Cuba's flag is older than the Cuban republic it stands for. It was drawn by exiles in New York in 1849, carried ashore by an invasion that failed, borrowed by Puerto Rican revolutionaries before Cuba was free, and only became the flag of a state in 1902 — half a century after it was sewn. Every element on it was chosen deliberately, and this page reads the flag one piece at a time.

The flag of Cuba: five stripes, a red equilateral triangle at the hoist, and a single white five-pointed star — La Estrella Solitaria.

Adopted: 20 May 1902
Designed: 1849, New York
Proportions: 1:2
Elements: 5 stripes · 1 triangle · 1 star

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Reading the flag, element by element

1
Three blue stripes — the island divided in three
The blue bands stand for the three departments Cuba was split into when the flag was designed: Occidental, Central and Oriental. They are a map as much as a decoration — the flag encodes the whole island, west to east, in a country that had not yet been allowed to govern any of it.
2
Two white stripes — the purity of the cause
The two white bands between the blue stand for the purity of the patriot cause. In the Masonic reading favoured by the men who designed it, they are also the pair of columns that frame an entrance — a threshold the island had still to cross.
3
The red triangle — strength, and blood
The equilateral triangle at the hoist is a Masonic figure: three equal sides for liberty, equality and fraternity. Its colour is the blood the designers expected independence to cost. Because the triangle is equilateral and as tall as the flag, its width is fixed by geometry, not by taste.
4
The white star — La Estrella Solitaria
One five-pointed star, centred in the triangle, for one free and independent state. It gives the flag its Cuban name — la bandera de la estrella solitaria, the flag of the Lone Star. It is why Cubans say 'the Lone Star' where an American would say 'the Stars and Stripes'.
5
The proportions — 1:2
The flag is twice as wide as it is tall. Each of the five stripes takes one fifth of the height, and the triangle spans the full height at the hoist. Those ratios are fixed in law, which is why a correctly made Cuban flag looks the same everywhere.

The flag before the country

1849
Designed in New York by Cuban exiles. The concept is Narciso López's; the drawing is Miguel Teurbe Tolón's; the first flag is sewn by Emilia Teurbe Tolón.
1850
First raised on Cuban soil on 19 May at Cárdenas, Matanzas, during López's landing. The expedition failed within days; the flag survived it.
1895
Puerto Rico's Revolutionary Committee, also exiled in New York, adopts Cuba's design with the colours transposed — an act of solidarity between two colonies of the same empire.
1902
On 20 May the flag is raised over El Morro in Havana as the flag of the Republic of Cuba, 52 years after Cárdenas.
1906
A presidential decree fixes the shade of blue, ending decades of flags made in whatever blue the cloth-seller had.
2019
Ley No. 128, the national symbols law, is approved on 13 July and published that September, restating how the flag, the anthem and the coat of arms may be made, flown and used.

Why the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico look identical

Hold the two side by side and only the colours differ: Cuba's stripes are blue with a red triangle, Puerto Rico's are red with a blue triangle. That is not a coincidence or a copy — it is a deliberate quotation. Both flags were made by exiles in the same city, in the same struggle against the same empire, and Puerto Rico's committee adopted Cuba's geometry in 1895 precisely so the kinship would be legible at a glance. If you have ever mixed them up, you have read them exactly as intended: as a pair.

The other flag you will see in Cuba

Alongside the national flag, a red-and-black banner marked 26 Julio flies from buildings, buses and balconies. It belongs to the 26th of July Movement, named for the 1953 attack on the Moncada barracks, and it is a political and historical emblem rather than a state one. It is not the flag of Cuba, and the two are never interchangeable — but seeing them together is one of the first things visitors notice.

The flag in daily life

Cuba's national symbols are the flag of the Lone Star, the Bayamo anthem and the royal-palm coat of arms; all three are governed by the 2019 symbols law.
The law sets out how the flag may be made, displayed, honoured and retired, and requires that it be treated with respect — the practical effect is that you will rarely see it used as decoration or clothing the way national flags are elsewhere.
You will see it flown on public buildings, schools and squares, and at its densest around 20 May, 26 July and 10 October, the dates the Cuban calendar builds itself around.
In Havana the flag is a fixture of the Plaza de la Revolución and the Malecón seafront; the coat of arms, with its royal palm and the key of the Gulf, appears on documents and official buildings rather than on the flag itself.
Buying one: flags sold to visitors are ordinary souvenirs, but photographing military or government installations — flag or no flag — is not welcomed anywhere in Cuba.

Official and reference sources

Frequently asked questions

What does the Cuban flag mean?: Three blue stripes for the three departments the island was divided into, two white stripes for the purity of the patriot cause, a red equilateral triangle for liberty, equality and fraternity — and for the blood independence would cost — and a single white five-pointed star for one free state. Cubans call it la bandera de la estrella solitaria: the flag of the Lone Star.
Who designed the flag of Cuba, and when?: It was made in New York in 1849 by Cuban exiles: Narciso López conceived it, Miguel Teurbe Tolón drew it, and Emilia Teurbe Tolón sewed the first one. It was first raised on Cuban soil on 19 May 1850 at Cárdenas, in Matanzas province.
Why do the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico look the same?: Because one was modelled on the other. Puerto Rico's Revolutionary Committee, exiled in the same city, adopted Cuba's design in 1895 with the colours transposed — Cuba has blue stripes and a red triangle, Puerto Rico red stripes and a blue triangle. The likeness is a statement of shared cause, not an accident.
When did Cuba adopt its flag?: On 20 May 1902, when it was raised over El Morro in Havana at the founding of the Republic — 52 years after it was first flown at Cárdenas. The design itself was never changed; only the exact shade of blue was fixed later, by decree in 1906.
What are the colours of the Cuban flag?: Blue, white and red. Five horizontal stripes alternate blue and white, starting and ending with blue, and a red equilateral triangle sits at the hoist carrying a white five-pointed star. The flag's proportions are 1:2.
What is the red and black flag flown in Cuba?: That is the flag of the 26th of July Movement, named after the 1953 assault on the Moncada barracks. It is a historical and political emblem, not a national one, and it flies alongside — never instead of — the flag of Cuba.
Is there a law about using the Cuban flag?: Yes. Ley No. 128 of 2019, the Law of National Symbols, defines the flag, the anthem and the coat of arms, and regulates how each may be made, used, honoured and preserved. It is the reason flag etiquette is noticeably stricter in Cuba than in many countries.

CubaAtlas is an independent, non-commercial reference project. This page explains the flag's design, history and official status and links to primary sources; it is not an official publication of the Cuban state.