In the past, the design was very similar to that of Guinea Bissau with which the nation was planning on integrating in the 1980s. However, the relations worsened in the following years, and in 1992, the current flag was made official. The blue base symbolizes the sky and sea, white, peace, and the horizontal stripes, the efforts of the citizens. Also on the left are ten yellow stars, which represent the ten islands that constitute the nation, and the circle depicted by the stars expresses unity in the nation.