Flag of South Sudan
Three horizontal stripes of black, red and green, with thin white lines around the red stripe, and a blue triangle at the left holding a yellow star.
At a glance
- Adopted
- July 9, 2011used in Southern Sudan from 2005; national flag at independence in 2011; exact colours and star position fixed in 2023
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:2
- Capital
- Juba
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- black
- red
- green
- white
- blue
- yellow
What it means
- Black: the people of South Sudan
- Red: the blood shed in the struggle for independence
- Green: the fertile land and its farming and natural wealth
- White: peace
- Blue: the waters of the River Nile
- Yellow star: the unity of the country's states; some sources also say hope for the future
Where it came from
The design comes from the flag of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), which fought for southern independence during Sudan's long civil war. Its colours echo those of Sudan's flag, which also uses black, red and green.
History
The 2005 peace agreement that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War let the south fly its own flag. On 9 July 2011 South Sudan became the world's newest country, and this flag became its national flag.
For years people printed it in different ways: some with a dark blue triangle and a tilted star. In August 2023 the government declared that only the version with a light blue triangle and an upright star is correct.
Fun facts
- South Sudan is the newest country in the world, so this is one of the newest national flags.
- Since 2023 it has been against the law there to hand out copies with a dark blue triangle or a tilted star.
- The flag uses six colours, more than most national flags.
- It is twice as long as it is tall.
Easy to mix up with
Kenya
SudanQuestions
What does the flag of South Sudan look like?
Three horizontal stripes of black, red and green, with thin white lines around the red stripe, and a blue triangle at the left holding a yellow star.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of South Sudan mean?
Black: the people of South Sudan; Red: the blood shed in the struggle for independence; Green: the fertile land and its farming and natural wealth; White: peace; Blue: the waters of the River Nile; Yellow star: the unity of the country's states; some sources also say hope for the future.
When was the flag of South Sudan adopted?
The current flag of South Sudan was adopted on July 9, 2011. (used in Southern Sudan from 2005; national flag at independence in 2011; exact colours and star position fixed in 2023)
What colours are on the flag of South Sudan?
The flag of South Sudan uses black, red, green, white, blue and yellow.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of South Sudan?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Kenya. Kenya has the same black, white-edged red and green stripes, but a Maasai shield in the middle instead of a blue triangle
Famous landmarks in South Sudan
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)