The 10 stars on the flag represent the main islands of the nation (a chain of islands off the coast of West Africa). The blue represents the ocean and the sky. The band of white and red represents the road toward the construction of the nation, and the colors stand for peace (white) and effort (red). The yellow color, circular formation of the stars, and dark blue field show similarity to the flag of the European Union. The stripes are in 6:1:1:1:3 ratio, and the circle of stars is centered 3/8 along the fly.

The Constitution of the Republic does not specify what the official proportions for the height and the width of the flag are. The dimensions of the parts that make up the flag are given proportionally to the dimensions of the sides, without specifying those dimensions. However, the proportion most widely used is 2:3, which is the same proportion that was used in the flag prior to 1992. Consequently, the proportion of 2:3 is the de facto (but not de jure) proportion.