Haiti

About the flag

Haiti is correct. The flag’s blue and red bands with a central coat of arms—palm tree, cannons, and the motto “L’Union Fait la Force” (“Unity Makes Strength”)—reflect the nation’s revolutionary roots. Tradition holds that Jean-Jacques Dessalines removed the white from the French tricolor after independence (1804), leaving blue and red to symbolize the people. Memory tip: Before 1936, Haiti’s simple blue-over-red looked identical to Liechtenstein’s; after the confusion at the Olympics, Liechtenstein added a crown, while Haiti emphasized its arms. Haiti is the first independent Black republic, and May 18 is Haitian Flag Day—think “blue and red, unity and strength” to recall Haiti.