Flag of Uganda
Six horizontal stripes of black, yellow, red, black, yellow and red, with a white circle in the middle showing a grey crowned crane.
At a glance
- Adopted
- October 9, 1962
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Kampala
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- black
- yellow
- red
- white
- grey
What it means
- Black: the people of Africa
- Yellow: Africa's sunshine
- Red: brotherhood, the bond that unites all people
- Grey crowned crane: Uganda's national bird; for the Baganda people it brings good luck, long life and wealth; the British picked it for the colonial badge partly so it would not belong to one region
Where it came from
The black, yellow and red come from the Uganda People's Congress, the party that won the 1962 election just before independence. The flag is usually credited to Grace Ibingira, then Minister of Justice, but this is disputed: other people have also claimed to have designed it.
History
Under British rule (1914-1962), Uganda used a Blue Ensign with a badge showing the crane. From March 1962 a temporary green, blue and green flag with a yellow crane was used.
When the Uganda People's Congress won the election, a new design in its colours was chosen. It was raised on 9 October 1962, the day Uganda became independent, and has not changed since.
Fun facts
- The crane on the flag first appeared on the British colonial badge, long before independence.
- The temporary 1962 flag was dropped partly because its green faded and its blue did not feel Ugandan.
- The flag's colours were first the colours of a political party.
- Idi Amin is said to have taken the original flag with him to Saudi Arabia when he fled Uganda.
Easy to mix up with
Germany: Germany has black, red and gold stripes, but only three stripes and no bird
Questions
What does the flag of Uganda look like?
Six horizontal stripes of black, yellow, red, black, yellow and red, with a white circle in the middle showing a grey crowned crane.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Uganda mean?
Black: the people of Africa; Yellow: Africa's sunshine; Red: brotherhood, the bond that unites all people; Grey crowned crane: Uganda's national bird; for the Baganda people it brings good luck, long life and wealth; the British picked it for the colonial badge partly so it would not belong to one region.
When was the flag of Uganda adopted?
The current flag of Uganda was adopted on October 9, 1962.
What colours are on the flag of Uganda?
The flag of Uganda uses black, yellow, red, white and grey.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Uganda?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Germany. Germany has black, red and gold stripes, but only three stripes and no bird
Famous landmarks in Uganda
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)