Flag of Honduras

The flag of Honduras has three horizontal stripes of turquoise blue, white, and blue again. In the middle white stripe, there are five blue stars arranged in a special pattern called a quincuncial. The blue stripes stand for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, as well as the sky and friendship. The white stripe represents the land between the seas, peace, prosperity, and pure thoughts.

The five stars symbolize the five nations that were once part of the Federal Republic of Central America: El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. Honduras first used this flag design in 1866, when it joined the United Provinces of Central America. Even after that union ended, Honduras kept a similar blue and white flag. In 1866, five stars were added to remember the five original provinces.

The national anthem of Honduras mentions "five pale blue stars," which are the same stars on the flag. The flag's colors and design were officially set in 1949, and in 2022, the country began using a special turquoise blue color for the flag. In 2026, the flag returned to its navy blue color.

Historical flags

United Provinces of Central America

The Honduran flag has its roots in the United Provinces of Central America, where Honduras once belonged. This area was the first in Central America to use a blue-white-blue striped flag, inspired by the flag of Argentina.

First flag

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  1839–1866

This early flag, used after Honduras gained independence, was based on the design of the United Provinces of Central America but without any emblem on it.

Second flags

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  1866–1949

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  1866–1898

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  1866–1898 Alternative

In 1866, President José María Medina changed the flag and added five stars to represent the original five united provinces. These stars were often arranged like the dots on a die, though other patterns existed too. By the early 1900s, the blue used was usually a deep navy shade.

Greater Republic of Central America

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  Flag of the Greater Republic of Central America 1896–1898

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  1898–1930s Alternative

From 1896 to 1898, Honduras was part of the Greater Republic of Central America. During this time, some people started using gold stars instead of blue ones on the flag, but this was never made official.

Third flags

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  1949–2022, 2026–present

In 1949, President Juan Manuel Gálvez updated the flag design to fix the position of the stars and officially choose a turquoise blue color. However, for many years, the flag was still made using navy blue.

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  2022 (recolor)

In 2020, experts suggested using a lighter blue for the flag until official rules were made. In January 2022, the military and the president both started using the turquoise blue version of the flag, bringing it back to the color chosen in 1866 and updated in 1949. This change was meant to honor the original design.

Design

The flag of Honduras has three equal horizontal stripes. The top and bottom stripes are a beautiful turquoise blue, while the middle stripe is white. In the center of the white stripe are five turquoise stars arranged in a special pattern.

The blue stripes stand for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, as well as the blue sky and friendship among people. The white stripe represents the land between these waters, symbolizing peace, prosperity, and pure thoughts for the people of Honduras.

Flags of subdivisions

Departments

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  Colón

[Comayagua](/wiki/Comayagua_Department)

[Copán](/wiki/Copán_Department)

[Francisco Morazán](/wiki/Francisco_Morazán_Department)

[Ocotepeque](/wiki/Ocotepeque_Department)

[Olancho](/wiki/Olancho_Department)

[Santa Bárbara](/wiki/Santa_Bárbara_Department,_Honduras)

Ethnic group flags