Flag of Martinique

The flags of Martinique

Martinique is an overseas region and department of France, so the official flag is the French tricolor of blue, white and red. It flies on public buildings next to the European flag, and it appears on official documents. The Martinique flag emoji shows this tricolor.

Two other flags are widely used:

• The red, green and black flag (red-green-black). It has a red triangle at the hoist and two horizontal bands, green and black. It was adopted on 2 February 2023 by the territorial assembly as the flag of the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique.
• The snake flag (drapeau aux serpents). It is a blue field with a white cross dividing it into four parts, with a white snake in each quarter.

Martinique flag meaning and colors

The red, green and black colors are the Pan-African colors popularized by Marcus Garvey's movement in the early 20th century and used since the 1960s by Martinican independence and cultural movements. Red is generally said to stand for the blood shed by enslaved people and in the struggle for dignity, green for the island's land and hope, and black for African ancestry and the people of Martinique. These readings are commonly cited rather than set out in an official text.

The snakes on the older flag allude to the fer-de-lance, a venomous pit viper found on the island and often linked with Martinique's identity. They are a local emblem rather than a national one.

History of the Martinique flag

Martinique became a French possession in 1635 and has stayed under France, apart from short British occupations. The snake flag dates from the 18th century, when Martinican ships carried a blue flag with a white cross and snakes. It is often dated to 1766 and was the flag of the island's merchant and colonial vessels. It was never an official national flag, but it remained a popular local symbol.

In 1946 Martinique became a French department. In 2016 the departmental and regional councils merged into the single Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique. The red, green and black design was approved by the new assembly in February 2023. Its legal status is limited: it represents the territorial collectivity, but it does not replace the French tricolor, which remains the national flag on the island.