Flag of Botswana

Country

Flag of Botswana uses light blue field with black and white horizontal centre stripe. Ratio 2:3 and current adoption September 30, 1966.

Hoist Ratio 2:3 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Botswana
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Republic of Botswana
Identifier	BW / BWA
Region	Southern Africa

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	September 30, 1966
First Documented Use	1966
Proportion	2:3
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Light Blue, White, Black
Construction	Light blue field with black and white horizontal centre stripe

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Light Blue	#75AADB	117, 170, 219	47, 22, 0, 14
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Black	#000000	0, 0, 0	0, 0, 0, 100

Design and Symbolism

Light Blue	water and rain — the national motto is Pula, “let there be rain”.
White	racial harmony.
Black	racial harmony.
Black and white stripe	Harmony between the country’s peoples, and the stripes of the zebra, the national animal.

Proportions

Ratio	2:3
Hoist	2 units
Fly	3 units

About the Flag of Botswana

Light blue field with black and white horizontal centre stripe The recorded proportion is 2:3. Within this library it is grouped with horizontal tricolour designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Botswana is Light Blue (#75AADB), White (#FFFFFF) and Black (#000000). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Black and white stripe: Harmony between the country’s peoples, and the stripes of the zebra, the national animal.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1966. The adoption field for the present record is September 30, 1966.

Additional flag context

The black band fimbriated in white on a light blue field is a direct statement about racial harmony, adopted at independence in 1966 in pointed contrast to neighbouring South Africa.

The light blue stands for water and rain — the national motto is Pula, meaning rain, and it is also the name of the currency in a country that is mostly desert.

Botswana's flag deliberately avoids the Pan-African red, gold and green, which most of its neighbours use.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Light blue field with black and white horizontal centre stripe, a 2:3 proportion and the visible black and white stripe. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Botswana — Specialist vexillological reference

Other horizontal tricolour flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Botswana

Botswana is recorded as light blue field with black and white horizontal centre stripe.
The reference proportion for the flag of Botswana is 2:3.
The stored palette for Botswana contains Light Blue, White and Black.
The adoption field for this country flag record is September 30, 1966.
The design record traces first use to 1966.
Its construction is grouped with the horizontal tricolour design family in this library.
Black and white stripe: Harmony between the country’s peoples, and the stripes of the zebra, the national animal.
The black band fimbriated in white on a light blue field is a direct statement about racial harmony, adopted at independence in 1966 in pointed contrast to neighbouring South Africa.
The light blue stands for water and rain — the national motto is Pula, meaning rain, and it is also the name of the currency in a country that is mostly desert.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Botswana

What does the flag of Botswana look like?

Light blue field with black and white horizontal centre stripe, with a recorded proportion of 2:3.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Botswana?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 2:3.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Botswana?

The reference palette lists Light Blue #75AADB, White #FFFFFF and Black #000000.

What do the symbols on the flag of Botswana represent?

Black and white stripe — Harmony between the country’s peoples, and the stripes of the zebra, the national animal.

When was the present flag record for Botswana adopted?

The adoption field in this record is September 30, 1966.

Which design family does the flag of Botswana belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with horizontal tricolour designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Botswana?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.