Flag of Tanzania
A black diagonal band with thin yellow edges runs from the bottom left corner to the top right. The triangle above is green and the triangle below is light blue.
At a glance
- Adopted
- June 30, 1964adopted in 1964 after Tanganyika and Zanzibar united; a 1971 law dates its use back to the union on 26 April 1964
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Dodoma
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- green
- light blue
- black
- yellow (gold)
What it means
- Green: the land, its plants and its farming
- Black: the people of Tanzania
- Blue: the Indian Ocean and the country's many lakes and rivers
- Yellow edges: the country's mineral wealth
Where it came from
In 1964 Tanganyika on the mainland and the islands of Zanzibar joined to form the United Republic of Tanzania. The flag mixes the two old flags: green and black (with yellow lines) came from Tanganyika, and blue came from Zanzibar.
The stripes were set diagonally so that neither part of the union looked more important than the other.
History
Tanganyika became independent in 1961 with a green flag crossed by a yellow-edged black horizontal stripe. Zanzibar had its own blue, black and green flag after its 1964 revolution. After the union, the two were combined into today's design, which has not changed. Since 2005 Zanzibar also has its own regional flag, with the Tanzanian flag in its corner.
Fun facts
- The flag is a mix of two flags, one from the mainland and one from the islands.
- The diagonal was chosen so both parts of the union were treated as equals.
- Sources disagree on whether the thin edges should be called gold or yellow.
- The country's name, Tanzania, is also a mix: TANganyika plus ZANzibar.
Easy to mix up with
Congo - Kinshasa: DR Congo also has a diagonal band, but it is red with yellow edges on sky blue, with a yellow star
Congo - Brazzaville: Republic of the Congo has a yellow diagonal band between green and red
Namibia: Namibia has a red diagonal band with white edges between blue and green, plus a sun
Questions
What does the flag of Tanzania look like?
A black diagonal band with thin yellow edges runs from the bottom left corner to the top right. The triangle above is green and the triangle below is light blue.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Tanzania mean?
Green: the land, its plants and its farming; Black: the people of Tanzania; Blue: the Indian Ocean and the country's many lakes and rivers; Yellow edges: the country's mineral wealth.
When was the flag of Tanzania adopted?
The current flag of Tanzania was adopted on June 30, 1964. (adopted in 1964 after Tanganyika and Zanzibar united; a 1971 law dates its use back to the union on 26 April 1964)
What colours are on the flag of Tanzania?
The flag of Tanzania uses green, light blue, black and yellow (gold).
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Tanzania?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Congo - Kinshasa. DR Congo also has a diagonal band, but it is red with yellow edges on sky blue, with a yellow star
Famous landmarks in Tanzania
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)