🇳🇦 The colours of Namibia

Namibia’s flag features blue, red, green, white, and a golden-yellow sun. Each colour stands for a key part of the country: its people, natural resources, and hopes for peace and unity. The sun’s twelve rays represent Namibia’s main ethnic groups.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• The flag’s sun has twelve rays for Namibia’s main ethnic groups.
• Red stands for the people and their determination.
• Blue represents both the sky and the Atlantic Ocean.
• The flag was adopted at independence in 1990.
• Namibia’s flag is one of few with a diagonal stripe.

The colours of the flag of Namibia

Namibia’s flag is divided by a wide red stripe running diagonally, edged in white. The top triangle is blue and holds a gold sun with twelve pointed rays. The lower triangle is green. Each colour has a meaning given by the flag’s creators: blue stands for the sky, ocean, and water; red for the people and their resolve; green for plant life and farming; white for peace and unity. The sun’s twelve rays are said to reflect the country’s main ethnic groups, grouped in fours of three.

How the colours were chosen of Namibia

The flag was created as Namibia prepared for independence in 1990. Over 800 ideas were sent in, and three Namibian designers’ work was merged into the final flag. The design was approved by the country’s leaders before independence. There have been other claims to its creation, but the official story credits Namibian citizens. Before independence, Namibia used the South African flag, and during apartheid, some regions had their own flags.

Official shades and rules of Namibia

The Government Gazette describes the flag’s colours and layout. The exact shade for white is not set out in these rules. The flag’s design uses a diagonal band, which is unusual among national flags.