Bahamas Flag

Meaning of the Flag

The flag of the Bahamas features a horizontal triband design and a chevron placed along the hoist-side of the flag. The colors that are used on the flag have significant symbolism surround culture, politics, and the regions of the Bahamas. This includes natural resources, as well as features of the Bahamian people including strength and vigor. In the next section, we’ll break down each color used in the Bahamian national flag and what these colors represent.

The chevron was added to the flag as a representation of the determination of the Bahamian people when cultivating the nation’s many natural resources.

Colors of the Flag

The Bahamian flag’s triband design features aquamarine at the top and bottom of the flag, while gold is used in the center. The chevron along the hoist side is black.

The color aquamarine is used as a symbol of the water that surrounds the Bahamas. The color gold is used to represent the country’s natural resources and the sun. The color black is a representation of the force, vigor, and strength of the Bahamian people.

History of the Flag

During the 18th century, the Bahama Islands were a crown colony of the United Kingdom. In the 19th century, the flag used by the Bahamas Islands was the British Blue Ensign was used with the addition of the crown colony’s emblem. Despite being in use since the mid-1800s, the emblem was not made official until the 1960s.

It was following the elections of 1972 that negotiations began to give the Bahama Islands their independence. The following year, the Bahama Islands became independent, changing its name from the Bahama Islands to the Bahamas. The new flag was chosen as a result of a contest. Dr. Hervis Bain is credited with the design, which incorporated elements from several contest submissions.

The modern flag of the Bahamas was officially adopted on July 10, 1973. Its design has not changed since that time.