Flag of Lesotho
Blue, white and green horizontal stripes, with a black Basotho hat (mokorotlo) in the middle of the wider white stripe.
At a glance
- Adopted
- October 4, 2006adopted on the 40th anniversary of independence, 4 October 2006
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Maseru
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- blue
- white
- green
- black
What it means
- Blue: the sky and rain
- White: peace
- Green: prosperity
- Black hat (mokorotlo): the Basotho people; it shows Lesotho as a black African nation
Where it came from
The flag was chosen to show a country at peace with itself and with its only neighbour, South Africa. Parliament passed the National Flag Bill in September 2006, 84 votes to 18, and the Senate approved it too.
The hat is the mokorotlo, a cone-shaped straw hat that is part of traditional Basotho dress. Its shape is said to come from Qiloane, a cone-shaped hill near Thaba Bosiu.
History
Lesotho, then called Basutoland, flew the British Union Jack until independence in 1966. The first national flag of 1966 also showed a Basotho hat, in white on blue, with green and red stripes.
After a military coup, a new flag was introduced in 1987, with a shield, a spear and a club. The 2006 flag swapped those weapons for the hat again, to give a peaceful image.
Fun facts
- Lesotho has a hat on its flag.
- The stripes are not equal: their heights are in the ratio 3:4:3.
- The new flag was picked from four proposed designs, and the hat was changed from brown to black.
- The 1987 flag with the shield and weapons was designed by a soldier, Sergeant Retselisitsoe Matete.
Easy to mix up with
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone has green, white and blue stripes, in the opposite order, with nothing in the middle
Gabon: Gabon has green, yellow and blue stripes
Questions
What does the flag of Lesotho look like?
Blue, white and green horizontal stripes, with a black Basotho hat (mokorotlo) in the middle of the wider white stripe.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Lesotho mean?
Blue: the sky and rain; White: peace; Green: prosperity; Black hat (mokorotlo): the Basotho people; it shows Lesotho as a black African nation.
When was the flag of Lesotho adopted?
The current flag of Lesotho was adopted on October 4, 2006. (adopted on the 40th anniversary of independence, 4 October 2006)
What colours are on the flag of Lesotho?
The flag of Lesotho uses blue, white, green and black.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Lesotho?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has green, white and blue stripes, in the opposite order, with nothing in the middle
Famous landmarks in Lesotho
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)