Flag of Tanzania

What the flag of Tanzania looks like

The flag of Tanzania has a width-to-height ratio of 2:3. A diagonal band runs from the lower left (hoist) corner to the upper right (fly) corner. The band is black, with a narrow yellow stripe along each of its edges. Above the band, in the upper hoist corner, is a green triangle. Below it, in the lower fly corner, is a blue triangle.

This diagonal layout is rare among national flags, and it makes the flag stand out. Other flags with a diagonal band include the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Namibia. The flag can also be seen in emoji form at the Tanzania flag emoji page.

Tanzania flag meaning and symbolism

Green represents the natural vegetation and the rich agricultural resources of the country. The thin stripes stand for its mineral wealth. Black represents the Swahili people, who are native to Tanzania, and blue represents the Indian Ocean and the country's numerous lakes and rivers. Some sources describe the thin stripes as yellow and others as gold.

The colors also tell the story of the union. The green and black came from the flag of Tanganyika, and the blue came from the flag of Zanzibar. The diagonal design was chosen "for distinctiveness".

History of the Tanzania flag

The mainland was part of German East Africa until British forces occupied most of it in 1916, and it was later administered by Britain as the Tanganyika Territory. Before independence, the British advised the winning party, TANU, to use the design of its green, black and yellow party flag as inspiration for the national flag, and Tanganyika became independent on 9 December 1961 with a flag of green and black bands with yellow stripes.

Zanzibar, the island group off the coast, was a sultanate and a British protectorate until 1963, with a red flag. The last sultan was overthrown in the Zanzibar Revolution on 12 January 1964, and the new government adopted, the following month, a flag of three horizontal bands of blue, black and green.

In April 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form the United Republic of Tanzania, whose name blends Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The two flag designs were combined into the present flag, which was adopted on 30 June 1964 and appeared on the first stamps of the new country. Since 2005 Zanzibar has also used its own regional flag, a horizontal arrangement of blue, black and green with the national flag of Tanzania in the canton.