Flag of Zimbabwe

The flag of Zimbabwe was adopted on 18 April 1980. It shows seven bars in the colors green, gold, red, black, red, gold, green and the shaft going off a white, schwarzgerändertes turned sprengtes triangle with a red five-pointed star, topped with a golden, nesting and to the shaft facing bird.

Symbolism

• Green stands for the vegetation and the country's resources
• Gold symbolizes the wealth of minerals
• Red represents the blood that was shed during the freedom struggle.
• Black represents the black population of the country
• The white triangle symbolizes peace and the " way forward "
• The red star stands for internationalism, and reflects the socialist ideas of the ruling party, but also peace.
• The Zimbabwe Bird ' comes from a found in the ruins of the ancient city of Zimbabwe illustration of soapstone and is the national emblem dar.

The committee that the design for the flag presented had not initially planned, the Zimbabwe Bird mitaufzunehmen, which was already found in the previous flag Zimbabwe - Rhodesia. Only when attention was drawn to its uniqueness and history, we took him into the final design.

Detail of an original flag from Zimbabwe

Historical flags

Between 1890 and 1923 the area now Zimbabwe was administered by the British South Africa Company. On September 13, 1890, set for the first time in Fort Salisbury (today Harare ) of the British Union Jack. From 1892 onwards they used the flag of the Company, a Union Jack, in the center a lion with an elephant tusk in the paw and the initials BSAC led.

1923 Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing colony. From this point, there was used a typical British Colonial Flag: Dark blue with the Union Jack in the canton ( upper left corner) and the arms of the colony. The coat of arms was a bouncing, red lion between two thistle flowers on a white ground and a golden pickaxe on a green background.

Between 1953 and 1963, Southern Rhodesia was with Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland the (Malawi ) part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The new coat of arms was a golden rising sun on a blue background for the Nyasaland, the red lion for Southern Rhodesia and silver waves on a black background for Northern Rhodesia, which symbolized the Victoria Falls. The Federation broke up on 31 December 1963, when Zambia and Malawi received its independence from Great Britain.

1:2? Flag of the British South Africa Company (1892-1923)

1:2? Flag of Southern Rhodesia (1923-1953)

1:2? Flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland

The remaining colonial possessions in Southern Rhodesia used on April 8, 1964 to November 11, 1968 a light blue version of the old colonial flag of 1923.

Southern Rhodesia declared in 1965 unilaterally independence from Great Britain and led as a republic Rhodesia from 11 November 1968 green-white- green tricolor, in the middle filled with the national coat of arms with the Latin saying " Sit Nomine Digna " ( May ( Rhodesia ) of this name be worthy ). The green comes from the use of color by various sports teams, so that it became a national color. It also pointed to agriculture as the foundation of the country.

On 1 June 1979, a transitional government under Bishop Abel Muzorewa was formed to end the civil war and the state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia proclaimed. The flag of Zimbabwe - Rhodesia resulted in a vertical black stripes with the Zimbabwe Bird on the left side, next to a thin, vertical, white stripe and three horizontal red-white- green. It was designed by Flight Lieutenant Cedric Herbert of the Rhodesian Air Force, a member of the Rhodesian Heraldry & Genealogy Society was. Black symbolizes achievements of the majority government in the country, red stands for the struggle for independence, yellow for the natural resources and green for agriculture and the natural wealth of the country. The white, vertical stripes represents the white European population, while the white horizontal stripe represents peace.

In December 1979, Rhodesia was again declared a British colony and therefore led to 18 April 1980 Union Jack. On this day Rhodesia gained official independence as Zimbabwe.

1:2? Flag of Rhodesia (1968-1979)

1:2? Flag of Zimbabwe - Rhodesia (June- December 1979)

1:2? Union Jack ( December 1979 - April 1980)

Other historic flags

The Southern Rhodesian Air Force was founded in 1947. She used the symbol of the British Royal Air Force and three horizontal stripes green -yellow-green on a white background. During the Federation 1953-1963 was used the flag of the Royal Air Force with three spearheads in the red disc.

From 1987 to about 1991 used President Robert Mugabe a presidential flag, but later no longer appears.

? Rhodesian Air Force (1953-1963)

? President Flag 1987-1991

Municipal flags

Flag of Gweru since 1986

Flag of Harare

Flag of Mutare

Political flags

The ZANU- PF party of President Robert Mugabe. It was formed from the merger of the Zimbabwe African National Union Zimbabwe African ZANU with the People's Union, ZAPU. The Movement for Democratic Change MDC is the main opposition party in Zimbabwe.

Flag of the MDC