The flag of Namibia was adopted on March 21, 1990 upon independence from South Africa.
The main colors were taken from the flag of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), the most important liberation movement in Namibia. That flag was adopted in 1971 and comprises diagonal stripes of blue-red-green, the most important colours of the Ovambos, the largest ethnic group in the country. The flag also represents the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, another Namibian political party. The gold sun, which is similar to the national emblem of the Republic of China, represents life and energy.
Alternatively, the chairman of the subcomittee that chose the flag after a competition where 850 designs were submitted, declared that:
* Red - represents Namibia's most important resource, its people. It refers to their heroism and their determination to build a future of equal opportunity for all;
* White - refers to peace and unity
* Green - symbolises vegetation and agricultural resources
* Blue - represents the clear Namibian sky and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's precious water resources and rain;
Red, white, and blue were the colours of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, and blue, red, and green, the colours of SWAPO. |
