From November 1959 until the 30th of November, 1975 the present day's flag was already the national flag of Dahomey. On the 30th of November, 1975 the country was renamed to Benin. The green flag with the red star, introduced on this day and retained until the 1st of August, 1990, corresponds to the colour reversal of the Revolutionary People’s Party of Benin. The green on the flag stood for agriculture, the red for revolution and socialism, and the red star for national unity. The flag of Dahomey was reintroduced on the 1st of August, 1990. It consists of a vertical green stripe near the pole and two horizontal stripes of yellow and red in the flying end of the flag.
The colours green, yellow and red are the Pan-African colours. The Pan-African-Movement had its beginnings perhaps in 1900, which wants to emphasize the common goals of all black people. The colour-triad green-yellow-red, which are used by many African and even American countries in their flags after independence, stands for the political unity of Africa, of all black People. The first country was Ghana in 1957. As the origin, the colours of Ethiopia (Abessinia), the oldest independent state in Africa, apply.
The colours yellow and green symbolize the separation between the arid, northern part of the savannas and the southern one, and the humid part of Benin with hers palm tree forest. Both parts are bonded with red, the shed blood and national unity.
The shield of the coat of arms of Benin is quartered. In the first silvery field are depicted typical homes, in the second silvery one the supreme order of the land, in the third silvery one a coconut palm, and in the fourth silvery one a black sailing ship with three masts on blue waves. Thus the quarters of the coat of arms stand for the people, a glorious history, commercial production and trade. In the centre of the shield a little red rhomb is positioned. Shield holders are two golden panthers. Above the shield are two black cornucopias which contain corncobs. On a silvery motto ribbon below the scutcheon appears the motto: "Fraternité, Justice, Travail" → "Fraternity, Justice, Labor". Today's coat of arms had already been introduced for Dahomey in 1964, and was, like the flag of Dahomey, confirmed on the 1st of August, 1990. During the years 1975–1990 the coat of arms showed a green disk, surrounded by a garland from corncobs, which were bound with a red ribbon. In the upper part of the green disk was a red five-pointed star and in the lower part, directly on the edge of the disk, the blade of a circular saw.
The name of the country goes back to the elongated bay of Benin and to the old kingdom of Benin. It existed between 13th and 19th century, but it was in the largely placed in the area of today's Nigeria. The old name "Dahomey" (or "Dahome"), dates back to the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was placed without access to the coast between the Kingdoms of Ashantee and Joruba in the area of today's Benin. It existed between 17th and 20th century, was extremely authoritarian and extremely aggressive. Maybe that this was the reason to renounce a rename back in Dahomey in 1990.
