Flag of Sierra Leone
Three equal horizontal stripes: light green on top, white in the middle and light blue at the bottom. There are no symbols.
At a glance
- Adopted
- April 27, 1961
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Freetown
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- green
- white
- blue
What it means
- Green: farming, natural resources and the country's hills and mountains
- White: unity and justice, matching the national motto "Unity, Freedom, Justice"
- Blue: the natural harbour of Freetown, and the hope of helping world peace
Where it came from
The flag was worked out and approved by the College of Arms in London in 1960, before independence. The coat of arms was designed first, and its green, white and blue became the colours of the flag. No single designer is named.
History
While Sierra Leone was a British colony, it used a British Blue Ensign with a colonial badge. From 1916 that badge showed an oil palm and a figure watching a ship arrive.
The green, white and blue flag was first raised at midnight on 27 April 1961, the moment Sierra Leone became independent. The 1991 constitution confirmed the same design.
The 1991 constitution also fixed the flag's shape at nine units wide by six units tall. It does not set exact colour shades.
Fun facts
- The flag was first raised at the stroke of midnight on independence day.
- The colours came from the coat of arms, not the other way round.
- In 1963 a law made it illegal to insult the national flag.
- Merchant ships from other countries sometimes fly Sierra Leone's flag as a "flag of convenience".
Easy to mix up with
Gabon: Gabon has green, yellow and blue stripes; Sierra Leone's middle stripe is white
Questions
What does the flag of Sierra Leone look like?
Three equal horizontal stripes: light green on top, white in the middle and light blue at the bottom. There are no symbols.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Sierra Leone mean?
Green: farming, natural resources and the country's hills and mountains; White: unity and justice, matching the national motto "Unity, Freedom, Justice"; Blue: the natural harbour of Freetown, and the hope of helping world peace.
When was the flag of Sierra Leone adopted?
The current flag of Sierra Leone was adopted on April 27, 1961.
What colours are on the flag of Sierra Leone?
The flag of Sierra Leone uses green, white and blue.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Sierra Leone?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Gabon. Gabon has green, yellow and blue stripes; Sierra Leone's middle stripe is white
Famous landmarks in Sierra Leone
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Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)