Italian physiologist who discovered galvanic, or voltaic, electricity in 1762, when investigating the contractions produced in the muscles of dead frogs by contact with pairs of different metals. His work led quickly to Alessandro Volta's invention of the electrical cell, and later to an understanding of how nerves control muscles.
The stars stand for the two islands. Red recalls the struggle for independence. Yellow is said to represent the country's cocoa plantations. Effective date: 12 July 1975.