Flag of Belize

Meaning and history of the flag of Belize

The flag of Belize has a royal blue field with narrow red stripes along the top and bottom edges, and a white disc at the center bearing the country's coat of arms. The coat of arms shows two workers, one of mixed heritage and one Black, flanking a quartered shield with tools of the timber industry, beneath a mahogany tree and above a ribbon reading 'Sub Umbra Floreo' ('I flourish in the shade').

Blue represents the People's United Party (PUP), which dominated Belizean politics around the time of independence, while the red stripes were added in 1981 to represent the United Democratic Party (UDP), the main opposition, in an effort to create a flag representing the whole nation. The coat of arms reflects the historical importance of the mahogany industry, which drove the economy of colonial British Honduras.

Belize's flag is notable as one of the few in the world to prominently feature human figures. The two figures on the coat of arms symbolize the country's ethnic diversity. With its many colors, blue, red, white, green, brown, and others on the coat of arms, it is considered one of the national flags with the greatest number of distinct colors, making it notoriously difficult to reproduce precisely. It was officially adopted on September 21, 1981, Independence Day.

You can view the flag of Belize in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Belize profile, its map, or the current local time in Belmopan.