Flag ratio: 2:3

The national flag of the Republic of South Africa was adopted on April 26 1994. The flag was designed by the State Herald, Mr F. Brownell. An earlier attempt to create a new flag by asking for suggestions from the public did not turn out to be successful.

Despite its newness, the flag has turned out to be an excellent national symbol, including among white South Africans whose flag it supplanted, and can now regularly be seen at sporting events and the like.

The flag can best be described as two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes.

Previous flag. Ratio: 2:3

South Africa's previous national flag was actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands (the Prince's flag), which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal Union Flag adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side.

The Red Ensign was South Africas de facto national flag 1910-1928

Approximate Pantone equivalents

• Green - 3415 c
• Gold 1235 c
• Red 179 c
• Blue reflex blue c

Flying the National Flag

There is a protocol [1] (http://www.polity.org.za/html/govdocs/misc/saflag.html) for flying the flag.

Meaning of the flag

When the new flag was designed it was specifically stated that the colors had no official meaning or symbolism, other than their choice from their use in the past.

However, in recent times an unofficial consensus has been reached in terms of an accepted meaning for the flag and its colours:

The "pall" (Y) is stated as symbolising the convergence as one unified nation.

• Red for bloodshed
• Blue of open blue skies
• Green for the land
• Black for the black South Africans
• White for the white South Africans
• Yellow for the natural resources i.e., gold

External links

• Flagspot (http://flagspot.net/)
• South African government's page on the flag (http://www.gov.za/symbols/flag.htm)
• dimensions of the flag (http://www.polity.org.za/misc/flagdim.html)
• South African flag closer observed (http://www.fotw.net/flags/za-close.htm)

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