Flag of Gambia
The Gambia's flag has three horizontal bands, red, blue and green, with a thin white stripe between each pair.
At a glance
- Adopted
- February 18, 1965
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Banjul
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- red
- blue
- green
- white
What it means
- Blue: the Gambia River, which flows through the middle of the country and gives it its name
- Red: the sun, since the country is fairly close to the equator, and the savanna
- Green: the forests and the crops people grow
- Two thin white stripes: unity and peace
Where it came from
The flag was designed by Louis Thomasi, an accountant, whose entry won the design contest before independence.
It was raised at midnight as The Gambia became independent from Britain on 18 February 1965.
History
The British had been in the area since 1661, and from 1888 The Gambia was a separate British colony that used a Blue Ensign with its own badge. That flag was used until independence.
The national flag has never changed, not even during the confederation with Senegal from 1982 to 1989.
Fun facts
- The blue stripe runs across the middle of the flag, just as the Gambia River runs through the middle of the long, thin country.
- Unlike many African flags, its colours were not taken from a political party.
- In Luxembourg, a 2013 government of three parties whose colours were red, blue and green was nicknamed the "Gambia coalition".
- A 1978 postage stamp printed the flag wrongly, with the blue and green swapped.
Easy to mix up with
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone has green, white and blue stripes with no red
Thailand: Thailand has red, white and blue stripes, but blue in the middle is twice as wide and there is no green
Questions
What does the flag of Gambia look like?
The Gambia's flag has three horizontal bands, red, blue and green, with a thin white stripe between each pair.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Gambia mean?
Blue: the Gambia River, which flows through the middle of the country and gives it its name; Red: the sun, since the country is fairly close to the equator, and the savanna; Green: the forests and the crops people grow; Two thin white stripes: unity and peace.
When was the flag of Gambia adopted?
The current flag of Gambia was adopted on February 18, 1965.
What colours are on the flag of Gambia?
The flag of Gambia uses red, blue, green and white.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Gambia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has green, white and blue stripes with no red
Famous landmarks in Gambia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)