Flag of the Cayman Islands

What the flag of the Cayman Islands looks like

The flag has a dark blue field and a width-to-height ratio of 1:2. The Union Jack takes up the canton, the upper corner next to the pole. On the fly side is the Cayman coat of arms, set in a white disc.

The shield in the coat of arms has a red upper part with a golden lion, and wavy blue and white lines below with three stars. Above the shield is a green turtle on a rope, with a pineapple on top of the rope. Underneath is a scroll with the motto "He hath founded it upon the seas".

This layout is the same as the flags of several other British Overseas Territories, such as the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. They all have a blue ensign with the territory's own badge or arms.

Cayman Islands flag meaning and symbolism

The Union Jack shows the territory's status as a British Overseas Territory. The rest of the meaning is found in the coat of arms.

• The three stars represent the three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
• The wavy lines represent the sea around them.
• The lion is a symbol of Britain.
• The turtle refers to the green turtles that once drew sailors to the islands. Columbus's first name for them was Las Tortugas.
• The pineapple is said to signify the historical link with Jamaica, since the Cayman Islands were governed as a dependency of Jamaica until 1962.

The motto is taken from the Book of Psalms, and refers to the islands' life at sea.

History of the Cayman Islands flag

The islands were sighted by Columbus in 1503 and were later called Caymanas, from a word for the caiman crocodile. Britain took control under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670, and settlement grew in the 18th century. From the 19th century the islands were administered with Jamaica. For many years the British Blue Ensign or the Union Jack was used.

The coat of arms was granted in 1958, and the flag, which uses it, was introduced in the same year, shortly before the Cayman Islands gained a separate constitution from Jamaica in 1959. When Jamaica became independent in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to stay British and now have the status of a British Overseas Territory. A red ensign with the same arms is used on civilian ships, while the blue version is the government ensign and the usual flag on land.