Spanish conquistador and explorer. Narváez was largely responsible for bringing Cuba under Spanish control in 1511. The governor of Cuba sent him to Mexico in 1520 to reassert authority over Hernán Cortés. Defeated, he was held captive for two years. He drowned during an expedition to Florida after a fruitless detour for gold split his party.
The crescent is a symbol of Islam and the green also denotes Islam. The four stars and the four stripes of colour represent the four islands in the group (including Mayotte, which is a French dependency). Effective date: 2002.