Adopted in 1902 (created in 1848); The flag of Cuba has five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white. A red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center. The blue bands refer to the three old divisions of the island: central, occidental, and oriental. The white bands describe the purity of the independence ideal. The triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity, while the red color stands for the blood shed in the independence struggle. The white star, called La Estrella Solitaria (the Lone Star) lights the way to freedom and was taken from the flag of Texas.