All of the Flags of African Countries

Download Article

Global flag expert Haitham Kuraishi explains the history behind many African flags’ designs

Explore this Article

IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Algeria

2 Angola

3 Benin

4 Botswana

5 Burkina Faso

6 Burundi

7 Cameroon

8 Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)

9 Central African Republic

10 Chad

11 Comoros

12 Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

13 Democratic Republic of the Congo

14 Djibouti

15 Egypt

16 Equatorial Guinea

17 Eritrea

18 Ethiopia

19 Gabon

20 Gambia

21 Ghana

22 Guinea

23 Guinea-Bissau

24 Kenya

25 Lesotho

26 Liberia

27 Libya

28 Madagascar

29 Malawi

30 Mali

31 Mauritania

32 Mauritius

33 Morocco

34 Mozambique

35 Namibia

36 Niger

37 Nigeria

38 Republic of the Congo

39 Rwanda

40 São Tomé and Príncipe (Saint Thomas and Prince)

41 Senegal

42 The Seychelles

43 Sierra Leone

44 Somalia

45 South Africa

46 South Sudan

47 Sudan

48 Eswatini (Swaziland)

49 Tanzania

50 Togo

51 Tunisia

52 Uganda

53 Zambia

54 Zimbabwe

55 African Union

56 Pan-African Flag

+ Show 53 more...

- Show less...

Other Sections

Video

Related Articles

References

Co-authored by Haitham Kuraishi and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: March 6, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

The nations of Africa are many and diverse, but you may be surprised to learn that their flags have much in common! In this article, we’ll examine the flag design of every African country (plus the African Union and Pan-African flags) and the symbolism behind them, with insight from wikiHow’s global flag and African folklore experts. Keep scrolling to learn more!

African Flags and Names

Global flag expert Haitham Kuraishi explains that the colors of many African flags are inspired by the flag of Ethiopia, which is the only modern African state not to have been colonized. These common flag colors include red, green, yellow, and black (known as the Pan-African colors).

Steps

1

Algeria

Download Article

1. 
   The Algerian flag features vertical stripes of green and white with a red star and crescent in the center. The white symbolizes peace and honesty, the green represents nature, hope, and joy, and the red recognizes the blood of those killed fighting for Algerian independence. The star and crescent, as well as the color green, are symbols of Islam (the state religion).

   • Adopted: 1962

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Haitham Kuraishi is a global flag expert and historian who creates content about history, geography, maps, travel, and flags for his 182K followers online.

   Adeche Atelier (also known as Adwoa Botchey and Solomon Adebiyiare) are African mythology and folklore experts who share their research online with their 580K followers.
Advertisement

2

Angola

Download Article

1. 
   The Angolan flag has horizontal red and black stripes with a yellow star, machete, and gear in the center. The color red symbolizes the blood that was shed in the fight against colonizers, while the black stripe represents the African continent. The yellow symbolizes the wealth of natural resources the country has. The central symbols indicate international solidarity and development (star), agriculture and armed fighting (machete), and industry (gear).

   • Adopted: 1975

3

Benin

Download Article

1. 
   The Beninese flag has a vertical green stripe on the left edge with horizontal yellow and red stripes. Green represents hope and the southern palm groves of the country, red represents the blood and courage of the nation’s ancestors, and yellow represents the nation’s natural resources in the northern savannas.

   • Adopted: 1959
Advertisement

4

Botswana

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Botswana has a sky blue background separated in the middle by 2 horizontal white strips with a black stripe between them. The blue color symbolizes water, while the white and black alternating stripes represent the ethnic harmony of the country and Botswana’s national animal, the zebra.

   • Adopted: 1966

5

Burkina Faso

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Burkina Faso has horizontal stripes of red and green with a yellow star in the center. Like in many African flags, red symbolizes the fight that led to the nation’s independence, and the yellow star signals the guiding light of the revolution. The color green represents the country’s abundance of natural resources.

   • Adopted: 1984
Advertisement

6

Burundi

Download Article

1. 
   The Burundi flag features a green and red background, separated into 4 sections by a white “X.” At the center is a white circle containing 3 red 6-pointed stars outlined in green. The stars represent the country’s motto, “Unity, Work, and Progress”, as well as the 3 ethnic groups in the country (the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa). White means peace, green symbolizes optimism and hope, and red represents the blood and struggle for independence.

   • Adopted: 1967

7

Cameroon

Download Article

1. 
   The Cameroonian flag has 3 vertical stripes of green, red, and yellow, with a yellow star in the center (the “star of unity”). The colors symbolize happiness (yellow), hope (green), and unity (red).

   • Adopted: 1975
Advertisement

8

Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Cabo Verde has a blue background with alternating white and red stripes in the center and a ring of 10 yellow stars in the center-left (one star for each island in the country). The colors represent the Atlantic Ocean (blue), peace (white), and economic progress (red).

   • Adopted: 1992

9

Central African Republic

Download Article

1. 
   The colorful flag of the CAR features horizontal stripes of blue, white, green, and yellow intersected in the center by a vertical stripe of red. In the upper left corner, there is a yellow star of independence symbolizing a bright future. The colors represent the sky and freedom (blue), peace and dignity (white), hope and faith (green), tolerance and hospitality (yellow), and the blood spilled to gain independence (red).

   • Adopted: 1958
Advertisement

10

Chad

Download Article

1. 
   The Chadian flag has 3 vertical stripes of dark blue, yellow, and red. The blue stripe represents the sky and waters of southern Chad, as well as hope and ambition. The yellow symbolizes the sunshine and sands of the desert in the north. The red stripe represents progress, unity, and the sacrifice of those who fought for independence.

   • Adopted: 1959

11

Comoros

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of the Comoros Islands features horizontal stripes of yellow, white, red, and blue, with a green triangle on the left edge containing a white crescent with 4 stars. The 4 stripes and 4 stars represent the 4 islands of the country: Mohéli, Mayotte, Anjouan, and Grande Comore. The color green and the crescent are symbols of the religion of Islam.

   • Adopted: 2002
Advertisement

12

Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Download Article

1. 
   This flag is a simple tricolor of orange, white, and green. The colors represent fertile lands in the savannas of the north (orange), joy, happiness, and the fresh water of the rivers (white), and hope, optimism, and the coastal forests (green).

   • Adopted: 1959

13

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Download Article

1. 
   The DRC flag has a blue background with a yellow star in the upper-left corner and a thick, diagonal stripe of red bordered with yellow. The star symbolizes hope for the future, while the colors represent peace and harmony (blue), the country’s wealth and prosperity (yellow), and the sacrifices of the nation’s national heroes (red).

   • Adopted: 2006
Advertisement

14

Djibouti

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Djibouti has horizontal blue and green stripes with a white triangle containing a red star along the left edge. The star symbolizes unity in the culturally diverse country (as well as the region where Somalis live), while the colors represent the sky and waters (blue), peace and harmony (white), and the country’s natural landscape (green).

   • Adopted: 1977

15

Egypt

Download Article

1. 
   The Egyptian flag has 3 horizontal stripes of red, white, and black, with the yellow Eagle of Saladin in the center representing authority, beauty, and sovereignty. The colored stripes symbolize the period of bloodshed and unrest before the 1952 Revolution (red), the bloodless revolution that ended the monarchy and kick-started the transition to a republic (white), and Egypt’s past subjugation by the British and the resilience of its people (black).

   • Adopted: 1984
Advertisement

16

Equatorial Guinea

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Equatorial Guinea features horizontal stripes of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms in the center and a blue triangle along the flag’s left edge. The colors represent vegetation and fertility (green), peace and harmony (white), the fight for independence (red), and the waters that connect the nation’s islands (blue). The coat of arms is a shield emblazoned with a silk tree (“God’s Tree”), representing the country’s historical link with Spain (the words “Unidad, Paz, Justicia” (“Unity, Peace, Justice”) are written underneath).

   • Above the coat of arms, there are six 6-pointed yellow stars representing the mainland and its 5 main islands: Annobón, Bioko, Corisco, Great Elobey, and Small Elobey.
   • Adopted: 1979

17

Eritrea

Download Article

1. 
   The Eritrean flag features triangles of green, red, and blue with a yellow olive branch in the center-left symbolizing peace (after the flag of the United Nations). The colors represent natural beauty (green), the oceans and seas (blue), the fight for independence (red), and the abundance of minerals in the country (yellow).

   • Adopted: 1993
Advertisement

18

Ethiopia

Download Article

1. 
   The Ethiopian flag has horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and red, with a blue circle in the center. Inside the circle is the emblem of Ethiopia, a 5-pointed star resembling a pentagram with 5 rays coming out of it. The colors symbolize hope and the fertility of the land (green), harmony (yellow), and the struggle and resistance against colonization (red).

   • Adopted: 1996 (based on an earlier design from 1897)
   EXPERT TIP

   

   Haitham Kuraishi

   Historian and Global Flag Expert

   Haitham Kuraishi is a historian and global flag expert based in D.C. Since 2020, Haitham has been creating content on topics including history, geography, maps, travel, and flags. He is a docent and tour guide at the Museum of the Palestinian People in DC, and has also focused more of his content on Palestinian history, including sites, culture, and figures from the ancient, medieval, and modern areas of Palestine and the greater region of the Levant. Haitham has over 182k followers and 7.2 million likes on TikTok. He has also been a Washington, DC chapter ambassador for Afikra, a global media and educational platform for curiosity, intellectual, and cultural understanding about the Arab world. As part of his senior capstone project at Virginia Tech, he and his team placed first for their concept to design and build a futuristic energy-efficient and sustainable modular home at The Solar Decathlon Middle East competition held in Dubai in 2018. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and 8 years of engineering experience within the manufacturing and biotechnology industries.

   

   Haitham Kuraishi
   Historian and Global Flag Expert

   The Pan-African flag colors are heavily inspired by Ethiopia. Ethiopia is considered the only modern African country not to have been colonized. Its flag became the inspiration for other countries’ flags as former British and French colonies gained independence.

19

Gabon

Download Article

1. 
   The Gabonese flag has 3 horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and blue. The colors symbolize the natural resources of the forests (green), the equator and the country’s minerals and gold (yellow), and the Atlantic shore (blue).

   • Adopted: 1960
Advertisement

20

Gambia

Download Article

1. 
   The Gambian flag features horizontal stripes of red, white, blue, and green. The colors symbolize the savanna and the sun (red), the Gambia River (blue), the forests and agriculture of Gambia (green), and peace, unity, and harmony (white).

   • Adopted: 1965

21

Ghana

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Ghana has 3 horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and green, with a black star in the center. Red represents the sacrifices of the country's martyrs for independence, yellow symbolizes Ghana’s mineral resources, and green represents the forests and other natural resources. The black star is a symbol of the nation’s emancipation from colonialism.

   • Adopted: 1966
   EXPERT TIP

   

   Haitham Kuraishi

   Historian and Global Flag Expert

   Haitham Kuraishi is a historian and global flag expert based in D.C. Since 2020, Haitham has been creating content on topics including history, geography, maps, travel, and flags. He is a docent and tour guide at the Museum of the Palestinian People in DC, and has also focused more of his content on Palestinian history, including sites, culture, and figures from the ancient, medieval, and modern areas of Palestine and the greater region of the Levant. Haitham has over 182k followers and 7.2 million likes on TikTok. He has also been a Washington, DC chapter ambassador for Afikra, a global media and educational platform for curiosity, intellectual, and cultural understanding about the Arab world. As part of his senior capstone project at Virginia Tech, he and his team placed first for their concept to design and build a futuristic energy-efficient and sustainable modular home at The Solar Decathlon Middle East competition held in Dubai in 2018. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and 8 years of engineering experience within the manufacturing and biotechnology industries.

   

   Haitham Kuraishi
   Historian and Global Flag Expert

   Ghana’s flag is inspired by Ethiopia’s. Ghana declared independence in the ‘50s and was the first country after Ethiopia to adopt these colors (red, yellow, and green).
Advertisement

22

Guinea

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Guinea is a tricolor of red, yellow, and green. The colors symbolize the struggle for independence (red), the sun, gold, and mineral resources of the country (yellow), and prosperity and fertile land (green).

   • Adopted: 1958

23

Guinea-Bissau

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Guinea-Bissau has a red vertical stripe along the left edge with a black star in its center, plus 2 horizontal stripes of yellow and green. Like many African flags, red symbolizes the struggle for independence from colonial powers, yellow symbolizes the sun and mineral resources of the country, and green represents agriculture and hope for the future. The black star represents the union of the African continent’s many peoples and nations.

   • Adopted: 1973
Advertisement

24

Kenya

Download Article

1. 
   The Kenyan flag has horizontal stripes of black, white, red, and green with a Maasai warrior shield and spears in the center. Black represents the poeple of the country, red represents the fight for freedom and independence, green symbolizes the country’s rich natural resources, and white represents peace and unity.

   • Adopted: 1963
   EXPERT TIP

   

   Haitham Kuraishi

   Historian and Global Flag Expert

   Haitham Kuraishi is a historian and global flag expert based in D.C. Since 2020, Haitham has been creating content on topics including history, geography, maps, travel, and flags. He is a docent and tour guide at the Museum of the Palestinian People in DC, and has also focused more of his content on Palestinian history, including sites, culture, and figures from the ancient, medieval, and modern areas of Palestine and the greater region of the Levant. Haitham has over 182k followers and 7.2 million likes on TikTok. He has also been a Washington, DC chapter ambassador for Afikra, a global media and educational platform for curiosity, intellectual, and cultural understanding about the Arab world. As part of his senior capstone project at Virginia Tech, he and his team placed first for their concept to design and build a futuristic energy-efficient and sustainable modular home at The Solar Decathlon Middle East competition held in Dubai in 2018. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and 8 years of engineering experience within the manufacturing and biotechnology industries.

   

   Haitham Kuraishi
   Historian and Global Flag Expert

   The black, red, and green of Kenya’s flag is iconic. The tribal symbol of the Maasai people, with the shield and spears, demonstrates protection of the homeland as well.

25

Lesotho

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Lesotho features horizontal stripes of blue, white, and green, with a black Mokorotlo (a traditional Basotho straw hat) in the center. The colors represent the rain and water (blue), peace (white), and prosperity (green).

   • Adopted: 2006
Advertisement

26

Liberia

Download Article

1. 
   The Liberian flag is influenced by the flag of the United States, with 11 alternating red and white horizontal stripes and a blue field in the upper left corner containing a white star. The 11 stripes represent the 11 signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence, with the red and white colors meaning courage and moral excellence. The blue represents the African continent, and the star symbolizes freedom.

   • Adopted: 1847 (Liberia was the first African country to claim its independence)

27

Libya

Download Article

1. 
   The Libyan flag features horizontal stripes of red, black, and green, with a white crescent and star in the center, inspired by the banner of the Senussi Dynasty (a Muslim political order) founded in Mecca in 1837. Red represents the blood of the Libyan people who died under Italy’s fascist rule, while green represents peace.

   • Adopted: 2011
Advertisement

28

Madagascar

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Madagascar has a vertical white stripe along the left edge of the flag, plus 2 horizontal stripes of red and green. The colors represent sovereignty (red), hope (green), and purity (white).

   • Adopted: 1958

29

Malawi

Download Article

1. 
   The Malawi flag has 3 horizontal stripes of black, red, and green, with a red rising sun in the center of the top black stripe, symbolizing freedom and hope for the African continent. The colors represent the African people (black), the bloodshed from the fight for independence (red) and the country’s fertile lands (green).

   • Adopted: 2012
Advertisement

30

Mali

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Mali is a tricolor with vertical green, yellow, and red stripes. The green represents vegetation, the yellow symbolizes purity and mineral resources, and the red represents the fight for independence from colonial rule.

   • Adopted: 1961

31

Mauritania

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Mauritania is green with thin red stripes along the top and bottom border. A yellow crescent and star sit in the center, symbolizing the country’s Islamic faith. The green also represents Islam, while the red stripes (added in 2017) represent the struggle for independence from France.

   • Adopted: 2017
Advertisement

32

Mauritius

Download Article

1. 
   The Mauritius flag features 4 horizontal stripes of red, dark blue, yellow, and green. The colors represent the struggle for independence (red), the Indian Ocean (blue), freedom (yellow), and the greenery and agriculture of the island (green).

   • Adopted: 1968

33

Morocco

Download Article

1. 
   The Moroccan flag is a field of red with a green star resembling a pentagram in the center, representing the 5 pillars of Islam (love, truth, peace, freedom, and justice). The red background has multiple meanings including sovereignty, the bravery and strength of the Moroccan people, and the blood union between the prophet Mohamed and the king of Morocco.

   • Adopted: 1915
Advertisement

34

Mozambique

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Mozambique has horizontal stripes of green, black, yellow, and white, with a red triangle along the left edge. Inside the triangle is an emblem of a star (a symbol of socialism) overlaid with an open book (education), a hoe (agriculture), and an AK-47 rifle (the country’s determination to defend itself). The colors represent the land (green), peace (white), the African continent (black), mineral wealth (yellow), and the struggle for independence (red).

   • Adopted: 1983

35

Namibia

Download Article

1. 
   The Namibian flag is blue and green, with a red diagonal stripe bordered by thinner white stripes. In the upper left corner, a yellow sun symbol represents power and existence. The colors symbolize the sky, rain, and water (blue), tranquility and harmony (white), plant growth and civilization (green), and the valor of the Namibian people (red).

   • Adopted: 1990
Advertisement

36

Niger

Download Article

1. 
   The Nigerien flag has horizontal stripes of orange, white, and green with an orange circle in the center representing the sun and the will of the nation to protect its freedom. The colors symbolize the grasslands and desert (orange), purity and innocence (white), and the rainforests and iger River (green).

   • Adopted: 1959

37

Nigeria

Download Article

1. 
   The Nigerian flag has 3 vertical stripes: green, white, and green. The colors symbolize agriculture and the forests of Nigeria (green) and peace and unity (white).

   • Adopted: 1960
Advertisement

38

Republic of the Congo

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of the Republic of Congo is green and red with a broad, yellow diagonal stripe. The traditional Pan-Africa colors represent agriculture and forests (green), friendship and the nobility of the people (yellow), and the fight for freedom from colonial powers (red).

   • Adopted: 1959, 1991

39

Rwanda

Download Article

1. 
   The Rwandan flag has horizontal stripes of light blue, yellow, and dark green with a yellow sun in the upper right corner signifying unity, transparency, and enlightenment. The colors symbolize happiness and peace (blue), mineral wealth and economic development (yellow), and natural resources and prosperity (green).

   • Adopted: 2001
Advertisement

40

São Tomé and Príncipe (Saint Thomas and Prince)

Download Article

1. 
   This flag has horizontal stripes of green and yellow and a triangle of red along the left edge. Within the yellow stripe are 2 black stars signifying the 2 main islands of the country. The green, yellow, and black color combination represents the Pan-African colors and the Liberation Movement, while the red symbolizes the fight for independence.

   • Adopted: 1975

41

Senegal

Download Article

1. 
   The Senegalese flag is a tricolor of green, yellow, and red, with a green star in the center symbolizing unity and hope. The colors represent Islam and hope (green), natural wealth and progress through collective work (yellow), and the struggle for independence (red).

   • Adopted: 1960
Advertisement

42

The Seychelles

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of the Seychelles has an interesting design featuring rays of blue, yellow, red, white, and green coming from the bottom-left corner, symbolizing a dynamic country looking to the future. The colors signify the sky and sea (blue), the sun and life (yellow), determination and harmony (red), justice and peace (white), and the natural environment (green).

   • Adopted: 1996

43

Sierra Leone

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Sierra Leone has 3 horizontal stripes of green, white, and blue, symbolizing agriculture, mountains, and natural resources (green), unity and justice (white), and the sea and natural harbor in the capital city of Freetown (blue).

   • Adopted: 1961
Advertisement

44

Somalia

Download Article

1. 
   The Somali flag has a blue background with a large white star in the center. The color blue represents the sky and the waters of the Gulf of Aden, though it was originally inspired by the United Nations, which helped administer the country. The star symbolizes liberty, with the 5 points representing the 5 places where Somalis live: Somalia, Djibouti, Somaliland, Ogaden (Ethiopia), and northeast Kenya.

   • Adopted: 1954

45

South Africa

Download Article

1. 
   The South African flag is one of the most widely recognizable flags from Africa. It has colorful red, blue, green, white, yellow, and black sections, with a distinct green “Y” shape laid horizontally across the flag representing the unity of the country after the end of the Apartheid regime. The colors symbolize blood (red), the sky (blue), vegetation (green), the African people (black), white people (white), and gold (yellow). The red, white, and blue combination also acknowledges the country’s past colonizers, Great Britain and the Netherlands.

   • Adopted: 1994
Advertisement

46

South Sudan

Download Article

1. 
   The South Sudanese flag features horizontal stripes of black, red, green, and white, with a blue triangle along the left edge containing a yellow star. The Pan-African colors of red, green, and black represent the young country’s solidarity with the African continent. The colors symbolize the South Sudanese people (black), peace and hope (white), the bloodshed for freedom (red), territorial growth and cultivation (green), and the Nile River (blue). The star (the Star of Bethlehem) signifies the unity of the states of South Sudan.

   • Adopted: 2011

47

Sudan

Download Article

1. 
   The Sudanese flag contains the Pan-Arab colors of red, white, black, and green, symbolizing peace and harmony in the Arab world. Specifically, the colors represent the battle for liberation (red), harmony and hope (white), the nation of Sudan (black; the word “Sudan” means “black” in Arabic), and Islam and the growth of territory (green).

   • Adopted: 1970
Advertisement

48

Eswatini (Swaziland)

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of Eswatini (formerly called Swaziland) contains horizontal stripes of blue, yellow, and red, with an emblem of a shield, spears, and a staff in the center, symbolizing protection from the country’s enemies. The colors signify peace and stability (blue), past struggles and conflict (red), and mineral resources (yellow). The black and white no the shield symbolize black and white people living in harmony.

   • Adopted: 1968
   • Swaziland changed its official name to Eswatini in 2018 to honor its pre-colonial heritage.

49

Tanzania

Download Article

1. 
   The Tanzanian flag is green and blue with a thick, diagonal black stripe bordered in yellow. The colors represent the people of Tanzania (black), the country’s fertile lands (green), mineral deposits (yellow), and the nation’s waters, including the Indian Ocean (blue).

   • Adopted: 1964
Advertisement

50

Togo

Download Article

1. 
   The bright flag of Togo has 5 horizontal stripes of alternating green and yellow with a red square in the upper-left corner containing a white star, a symbol of peace, dignity, and Togo’s independence. The colors represent loyalty and patriotism (red), hope, fertility, and agriculture (green), and mineral wealth and prosperity through hard work (yellow).

   • Adopted: 1960

51

Tunisia

Download Article

1. 
   The Tunisian flag is a field of red with a white circle in the center containing a red crescent and star (symbols of Islam and a nod to the country’s past as part of the Ottoman Empire). White represents peace, while red signifies the bloodshed of martyrs against oppression.

   • Adopted: 1831, 1959
Advertisement

52

Uganda

Download Article

1. 
   The Ugandan flag has 6 horizontal stripes of alternating black, yellow, and red, with a white circle containing a gray crowned crane in the center (a national symbol of Uganda). The Pan-African colors represent the people of Uganda (black), sunshine (yellow), and the blood that binds the people of the country (red).

   • Adopted: 1962

53

Zambia

Download Article

1. 
   The Zambian flag has a unique design, featuring a field of green with a square made of vertical red, black, and orange stripes in the bottom-right corner. Above the square is an orange eagle, symbolizing the people of Zambia rising above the country’s problems. The colors signify fertile lands (green), the fight for freedom (red), the people of Zambia (black), and the rich mineral and natural resources of the country (orange).

   • Adopted: 1964
Advertisement

54

Zimbabwe

Download Article

1. 
   The Zimbabwean flag contains 7 horizontal stripes of green, yellow, red, and black, with a white triangle bordered by black along the left edge. Inside the triangle is a red star overlaid with a yellow soapstone bird (a national symbol of Zimbabwe), symbolizing the rising hopes of the nation. The colors signify fertility and agriculture (green), mineral resources (yellow), the fight for independence (red), the native people of Zimbabwe (black), and peace (white).

   • Adopted: 1980

55

African Union

Download Article

1. 
   The flag of the African Union is a field of green, representing hope and peace, with an outline of the African continent in the center. White rays projecting from the continent depict the sun and Africa’s commitment to be a global partner, while the yellow stars at the end of each ray represent each of the 55 members of the Union.

   • Adopted: 2010
Advertisement

56

Pan-African Flag

Download Article

1. 
   The Pan-African flag “was designed as a unifying symbol for people of African descent worldwide, representing shared identity, pride, and solidarity in the face of colonialism and racial oppression,” explain African mythology and folklore experts Adeche Atelier (Adwoa Botchey and Solomon Adebiyi). “The flag consists of three horizontal bands of red, black, and green. Red represents the blood that unites all people of African ancestry and the blood shed in the struggle for liberation and dignity. Black stands for the collective identity of the African people and the shared heritage of the diaspora. Green is the natural wealth of Africa and the hope for growth, renewal, and freedom.”

   • “The Pan-African flag, also known as the Afro-American flag, Black Liberation flag, or UNIA flag, was created in 1920 by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) under Marcus Garvey,” they continue.
   • Adeche Atelier adds that, “Over time, these colours have become global symbols of Pan-Africanism. They appear in the flags of several African nations, such as Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana, and they remain symbols of unity, self-determination, and pride in African heritage.”

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!