Flag of Namibia
Namibia's flag is cut by a red diagonal band edged in white, with a blue triangle holding a gold sun at the top and a green triangle at the bottom.
At a glance
- Adopted
- March 21, 1990
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Windhoek
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- blue
- red
- green
- gold
- white
What it means
- Red: the people, their courage and their wish for equal chances for all
- White: peace and unity
- Green: plants and farming
- Blue: the clear sky, the Atlantic Ocean and the country's precious water and rain
- Gold sun: life and energy; according to Wikipedia, its 12 rays stand for the country's 12 main ethnic groups
Where it came from
Before independence, a committee for national symbols asked the public for ideas. Hundreds of designs came in (Wikipedia says 870, Flags of the World says 835), and six were shortlisted. The final flag combined ideas from three of them, by Theo Jankowski, Don Stevenson and Ortrud Clay. Two other men later also claimed to be the designer.
The main colours, blue, red and green, came from the flag of SWAPO, the movement that led the fight for independence.
History
Namibia was ruled by South Africa for many years and was known as South West Africa. During that time it used South Africa's flag.
The new flag was approved unanimously by the Constituent Assembly on 2 February 1990 and first raised on 21 March 1990, the day Namibia became independent.
Fun facts
- Namibia's flag is one of only a few national flags with a diagonal band.
- The sun has exactly 12 straight, pointed rays.
- The official text says no single colour has a fixed meaning, even though the designers explained them.
- Its colours were fixed by Pantone numbers in a 2018 law.
Easy to mix up with
Congo - Kinshasa: DR Congo also has a red diagonal band, but on a sky-blue field with a yellow star
Tanzania: Tanzania has a black diagonal band between green and blue, and no sun
Questions
What does the flag of Namibia look like?
Namibia's flag is cut by a red diagonal band edged in white, with a blue triangle holding a gold sun at the top and a green triangle at the bottom.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Namibia mean?
Red: the people, their courage and their wish for equal chances for all; White: peace and unity; Green: plants and farming; Blue: the clear sky, the Atlantic Ocean and the country's precious water and rain; Gold sun: life and energy; according to Wikipedia, its 12 rays stand for the country's 12 main ethnic groups.
When was the flag of Namibia adopted?
The current flag of Namibia was adopted on March 21, 1990.
What colours are on the flag of Namibia?
The flag of Namibia uses blue, red, green, gold and white.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Namibia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Congo - Kinshasa. DR Congo also has a red diagonal band, but on a sky-blue field with a yellow star
Famous landmarks in Namibia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)