Use | National flag and ensign |
---|---|
Proportion | 2:3 |
Adopted | 18 February 1965 |
Design | A horizontal tricolor of red, blue and green; each band of colour is separated by a narrow band of white |
Designed by | Pa Louis Thomasi |
Standard of the President | |
Design | A blue flag with the national coat of arms charged in the center. |
The flag of The Gambia is the national flag of The Gambia. It consists of three horizontal red, blue and green bands separated by two thin white lines. Adopted in 1965 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the Gambia Colony and Protectorate, it has been the flag of the Republic of the Gambia since the country gained independence that year. It remained unchanged throughout the Gambia's seven-year confederation with Senegal.
The British first arrived in what is now modern-day Gambia in 1661, when they conquered James Island. They proceeded to construct forts around the confluence of the Gambia River with the Atlantic Ocean, and gradually expanded their control upstream. This area became a protectorate in the 1820s under the jurisdiction of Sierra Leone, and eventually emerged as a separate crown colony of the United Kingdom within its colonial empire in 1888. [1] This newfound status gave the Gambia its own "distinctive" colonial flag. [2] This is because colonies were permitted to utilize the British Blue Ensign and deface it with the arms of the territory under the Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865. The arms of the Gambia at the time consisted of a circle depicting an elephant, a palm tree and hills, along with the letter "G" standing for the first letter of the territory's name. [2]
The Gambia was granted self-governance in 1963. [1] The defaced blue ensign continued to be used until full independence was granted in 1965. [3] The winning design for the new flag was created by Louis Thomasi, who worked as an accountant. [2] [4] It is one of the few African flags that does not utilize the colours of the country's leading political party, since its design "has no political basis". [3] [5] It was first hoisted at midnight on February 18, 1965, the day the Gambia became an independent country. [6] [7] In 1982, the Gambia formed a confederation with Senegal, which lasted for seven years before its dissolution in 1989. [1] However, this closer union did not result in change of national symbols, and the Gambian flag continued to be flown during this time. [3]
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1870–1889 | Flag of the British West Africa | ||
1870–1889 | Flag of the governor-in-chief of the British West Africa | ||
1889–1965 | Flag of the Gambia Colony and Protectorate | ||
1901–1965 | Flag of the governor of the Gambia | ||
1965–1970 | Flag of the governor-general of the Gambia |
The colours of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The blue alludes to the Gambia River, which is the nation's key geographical feature and from which the country derives its name. [2] The red evokes the sun – given the Gambia's close proximity to the Equator [2] – as well as the savanna, [3] [8] while the thin white stripes represent "unity and peace". [2] [8] The green epitomizes the forest [3] and the agricultural goods that the Gambian people are heavily dependent on, both for exports and their personal use. [2]
The flag's colour scheme of red, blue, green and white is the same as the one featured on the coat of arms of the Gambia. [2]
Following the 2013 general election in Luxembourg, a three-party coalition between the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), the Democratic Party (DP) and The Greens was formed. [9] [10] It was labelled a "Gambia coalition", because the colours of the three political parties are identical to the ones on the flag of the Gambia – red (LSAP), blue (DP) and Green (The Greens). [10] [11]
Military flags and ensigns of the Gambia are following British practice but different from British military flags and ensigns.[ citation needed ]
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Flag was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag.
The national flag of Sierra Leone is a tricolour consisting of three horizontal green, white and blue bands. It was adopted in 1961, Sierra Leone's independence year, to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the Crown Colony of Sierra Leone.
The Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is one of the British ensigns, and it is used either plain or defaced with either a badge or a charge, mostly in the right half.
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The national flag of Mauritius, also known as the Four Bands and Les Quatre Bandes, was adopted upon independence, 12 March 1968. It consists of four horizontal bands of equal width, coloured red, blue, yellow, and green. The flag was recorded at the College of Arms in London on 9 January 1968.
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The flag of Saint Helena consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the shield from the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1984 shortly after the island was granted a new coat of arms, it has been the flag since. Saint Helena's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.
The flag of Saint Lucia consists of a cerulean blue field charged with a golden triangle in front of a white-edged black isosceles triangle. Adopted in 1967 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the colony, it has been the flag of Saint Lucia since the country became an associated state of the United Kingdom that year. Although the overall design of the flag has remained unchanged, specific aspects of it have been altered over the years.
The flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a Canadian pale triband consisting of blue, gold, and green bands charged with three green diamonds at the middle. Adopted in 1985 to replace a similar design used from the time of independence, it has been the flag of Saint Vincent since that year. The design of the present flag entailed substituting the country's coat of arms on a breadfruit leaf with the diamonds. They are a reference to both the letter "V", which is the first letter of the country's name, and its nickname as the "Gems of the Antilles" and "Jewels of the Caribbean". Accordingly, the flag itself has been given the moniker of "The Gems".
The flag of Solomon Islands consists of a thin yellow diagonal stripe from the lower hoist-side corner, with a blue upper triangle and green lower triangle, and the canton charged with five white stars. Adopted in 1977 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the protectorate, it has been the flag of Solomon Islands since 18 November of that year, eight months before the country gained independence. Although the number of provinces has since increased, the number of stars on the flag that originally represented them remained unchanged.
The current flag of Sudan was adopted on 20 May 1970 and consists of a horizontal red-white-black tricolour with a green triangle at the hoist. The flag is based on the Arab Liberation Flag of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, as are the flags of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine and formerly of the United Arab Republic, North Yemen, South Yemen, and the Libyan Arab Republic.
The flag of Tanzania consists of a Gold-edged black diagonal band, divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner, with a green upper triangle and light blue lower triangle. Adopted in 1964 to replace the individual flags of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, it has been the flag of the United Republic of Tanzania since the two states merged that year. The design of the present flag incorporates the elements from the two former flags. It is one of a relatively small number of national flags incorporating a diagonal line, with other examples including the DR Congo, Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago and Brunei.
The flag of Uganda was adopted on 9 October 1962, the date that Uganda became independent from the British Empire. It consists of six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red (bottom); a white disc is superimposed at the centre and depicts the national symbol, a grey crowned crane, facing the hoist's side.
The national flag of Zambia was adopted upon independence on 24 October 1964, by the first Republican President Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda. Before that, Zambia was the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia and used a defaced Blue Ensign as its flag.
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or defaced with a badge or other emblem.
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The First Bettel Government was the ruling government of Luxembourg from 4 December 2013 to 5 December 2018. It was led by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider. It was formed on 4 December 2013, after the 2013 election which saw all 60 seats in the Chamber of Deputies renewed. The government was a traffic light coalition between the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) and The Greens. It was succeeded by second Bettel Government on 5 December 2018.
… Mr. Louis Thomasi, a private accountant, was selected as most suitable.