Jamaica

Jamaica
Flag of Jamaica
Adopted	6 August 1962
Wikipedia article
Flags of the World article

The national flag of Jamaica was bestsummed up in the phrase “Hardships there are, but the land is green and the sun shineth!”. Gold recalls the shining sun, black reflects hardships, and green represents the land. In recent years, however, the meaning has been updated to “The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative”. It was changed in 1996 to black representing the strength and creativity of the people which has allowed them to overcome difficulties, gold for the wealth of the country and the golden sunshine, and green for the lush vegetation of the island, as well as hope. The present design emerged from those sent in by the public in a national competition.

Historical flags

Colonial Flag of Jamaica (August 25, 1875 – May 31, 1906)

Colonial Flag of Jamaica (June 1, 1906 – April 8, 1957)

Colonial Flag of Jamaica (April 8, 1957 – July 13, 1962)

Colonial Flag of Jamaica (July 13, 1962 – August 6, 1962)

Flag proposals

The first proposed design for the Jamaican flag from the 1960s

Another proposal for the Jamaican flag from the 1960s

Jamaican flag proposal by FlagMashupBot. Green represents the island and its lush vegetation. Black represents the people of Jamaica. Yellow represents gold, wealth, and prosperity. The three legs represent the three traditional regions of Jamaica: Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey.