What color is the star on the flag of Puerto Rico?

The star on Puerto Rico’s flag is white.

The flag has five equal horizontal stripes that alternate red and white. At the hoist is a blue equilateral triangle containing one large, upright, five-pointed white star. Because it has a single star, the flag is popularly called La Monoestrellada, meaning “the one-starred” or “single-starred” flag.

Puerto Rican revolutionaries adopted the design in New York City in 1895. It was based on Cuba’s flag, but the principal colors and arrangement were inverted: Cuba has a red triangle with a white star, while Puerto Rico has a blue triangle with a white star and alternating red-and-white stripes. The star is commonly said to represent Puerto Rico or the Puerto Rican archipelago.

The flag became Puerto Rico’s official flag in 1952 when the commonwealth was established. One detail that can cause confusion is the shade of blue, not the star’s color. Puerto Rican law identifies the star as white but does not establish one official shade for the triangle; medium, dark, and light blue versions have all appeared in historical and modern use.