Flag of Belize

The flag of Belize was adopted on 21 September 1981, the day Belize became independent. It has a blue background with red stripes at the top and bottom. In the middle of the flag is the coat of arms of Belize.

The coat of arms was created much earlier, on 28 January 1907, when the area was known as British Honduras. It shows tools and mahogany trees, reminding us of the logging industry that first brought people to the region. The words at the bottom say the national motto, Sub Umbra Floreo, meaning "Under the Shade I Flourish". The flag of Belize is special because, along with the flag of Malta, it is one of only two national flags in the world that shows a person.

Description

The flag of Belize is royal blue with a white circle in the middle. Inside the circle is the national coat of arms, which shows a mestizo and a man of African descent holding it. Belize’s flag is special because it is the only national flag that shows people as a main part of its design. The flag also has two thin red stripes at the top and bottom.

The colors on the flag represent Belize’s two main political parties. The blue and white colors belong to one party, while the red stripes belong to the other party. The flag has many different colors and shades, making it one of the most colorful flags in the world.

History

From 1950 onward, Belize used an unofficial flag. It was blue with the country's coat of arms on a white circle in the middle.

When Belize became independent in 1981, a contest was held to choose a new national flag. The winning design was based on the unofficial flag but added red borders to the top and bottom. This design was called the "Flag of Unity" and was created by two government workers.

In 2019, Belize began making the flag's colors and design more consistent across the country.

Historical flags

Here are some important flags from Belize’s past:

• Flag of British Honduras (1870–1919)
• Civil ensign of British Honduras (1870–1919)
• Flag of British Honduras/Belize (1919–1981)
• Civil ensign of British Honduras/Belize (1919–1981)
• Standard of the governor of British Honduras/Belize
• Unofficial civil flag of British Honduras/Belize (1950–1981). This flag helped create the flag we use today.
• Flag flown from 1981 until 28 August 2019 before it was made official.

Colours

Other flags

The flag shown here is used by the Governor-General of Belize.