The national flag of Costa Rica is based on a design created in 1848. The state flag is also used as the official ensign, and includes the coat of arms of Costa Rica. The civil ensign, omits the coat of arms, since the flag with the Coat of arms is only permitted to be used for the government. The flag was officially adopted on 27 November 1906, including a slight modification to the placement and design of the entrenched coat of arms. The flag was updated to reflect concurrent modifications to the national coat of arms in 1964 and 1998. Along with Haiti, Afghanistan, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Venezuela, it is one of only eight national flags whose design incorporates a depiction of the flag itself.
Source: Wikipedia