Flag of Guyana

What the flag of Guyana looks like

The flag of Guyana has a green field with two overlapping triangles that point from the hoist (the side nearest the pole) toward the fly. The larger triangle is gold and has a thin white border. On top of it sits a shorter red triangle with a black border. Together they form the arrowhead shape that gives the flag its nickname. The proportions are 3:5.

The triangles meet the hoist edge along the full height of the flag, and the gold one reaches the far corners of the fly, so the green is left in two wedges above and below the arrow. Few national flags use this arrowhead layout, so Guyana's is easy to recognize. Do not confuse it with the flag of French Guiana, an overseas department of France that uses the French tricolor. You can also see the flag as the Guyana flag emoji.

Guyana flag meaning and symbolism

The official explanation gives each color its own meaning:

• Green stands for the country's agriculture and its forests, which cover most of the land.
• White stands for the rivers and water potential of the country. Guyana's name is usually said to mean "land of many waters".
• Gold stands for mineral wealth and for a bright future.
• Black stands for endurance and the ability to carry on in the face of difficulty.
• Red stands for the zeal and dynamism of a young nation building itself.

The arrowhead shape points forward, toward the future of the new country. It is also read as a nod to the Indigenous peoples of Guyana, who used arrows, though the official explanations stress progress rather than heritage.

History of the Guyana flag

Before independence Guyana was the British colony of British Guiana, which flew the British Blue Ensign with the colony's badge, a sailing ship, on the fly. That colonial flag was used until independence.

As independence approached, the government asked the American vexillologist Whitney Smith to propose a design. His original drawing was changed to add the white and black borders and to alter the shades, and the final version was approved by the government. The new flag was raised on 26 May 1966, the day Guyana became independent from the United Kingdom, and it has not changed since. Four years later, in 1970, Guyana became a republic, but the flag stayed the same.

Flag facts and use

The name "Golden Arrowhead" is also used in speech and songs as a nickname for the flag. Guyana's Independence Day on 26 May and Republic Day on 23 February are the main days when the flag is flown in large numbers. See other flags of South America for comparison.