A colony of France from the late 19th century until it gained its independence in 1960, the Ivory Coast is another country which has based its flag on that of the French tricolour but adopted it on December 3, 1959. The colours are said to represent progress and the northern plains, or savannah (orange); hope and the agriculture of the south (green); and national unity (white). Coincidentally and significantly, green and white are also the colours of the Parti Democratique de la Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast Democratic Party), which led the country to independence and has subsequently, banned all rival political opposition. The Ivory Coast flag is similar to that of Ireland, with the colours reversed and with different proportions.