In the Persian Wars, sea battle fought in the Strait of Salamis west of Athens, Greece, in 480 BC between the Greeks and the invading Persians. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Greeks inflicted a crushing defeat on the invading Persians which effectively destroyed their fleet.
The small stars stand for the original provinces of Congo at independence in 1960. The single gold star was said to represent the light of civilization. Effective date: 17 May 1997.