Flag of Jamaica

Country

Flag of Jamaica uses gold saltire with green and black triangles. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption August 6, 1962.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Jamaica
Entity Type	Country
Identifier	JM / JAM
Region	Caribbean

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	August 6, 1962
First Documented Use	1962
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Gold, Green, Black
Construction	Gold saltire with green and black triangles

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Gold	#FED100	254, 209, 0	0, 18, 100, 0
Green	#009B3A	0, 155, 58	100, 0, 63, 39
Black	#000000	0, 0, 0	0, 0, 0, 100

Design and Symbolism

Gold	the natural wealth and the sunlight.
Green	hope and agricultural resources.
Black	the strength and creativity of the people.
Saltire	The only national flag in the world containing neither red, white nor blue.
Colours	Summed up as “hardships there are, but the land is green and the sun shineth”.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of Jamaica

Gold saltire with green and black triangles The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with saltire (diagonal cross) designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Jamaica is Gold (#FED100), Green (#009B3A) 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

Saltire: The only national flag in the world containing neither red, white nor blue; Colours: Summed up as “hardships there are, but the land is green and the sun shineth”.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1962. The adoption field for the present record is August 6, 1962.

Additional flag context

Jamaica's is the only national flag on earth that contains neither red, white nor blue.

The original proposal was a horizontal tricolour, changed to a saltire when it was noticed that the design was nearly identical to the flag of Tanganyika.

The colours were long summarised in a phrase taught in Jamaican schools: hardships there are, but the land is green and the sun shineth.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Gold saltire with green and black triangles, a 1:2 proportion and the visible saltire. 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 — Jamaica — Specialist vexillological reference

Other saltire (diagonal cross) flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Jamaica

Jamaica is recorded as gold saltire with green and black triangles.
The reference proportion for the flag of Jamaica is 1:2.
The stored palette for Jamaica contains Gold, Green and Black.
The adoption field for this country flag record is August 6, 1962.
The design record traces first use to 1962.
Its construction is grouped with the saltire (diagonal cross) design family in this library.
Saltire: The only national flag in the world containing neither red, white nor blue.
Colours: Summed up as “hardships there are, but the land is green and the sun shineth”.
Jamaica's is the only national flag on earth that contains neither red, white nor blue.
The original proposal was a horizontal tricolour, changed to a saltire when it was noticed that the design was nearly identical to the flag of Tanganyika.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Jamaica

What does the flag of Jamaica look like?

Gold saltire with green and black triangles, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Jamaica?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:2.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Jamaica?

The reference palette lists Gold #FED100, Green #009B3A and Black #000000.

What do the symbols on the flag of Jamaica represent?

Saltire — The only national flag in the world containing neither red, white nor blue. Colours — Summed up as “hardships there are, but the land is green and the sun shineth”.

When was the present flag record for Jamaica adopted?

The adoption field in this record is August 6, 1962.

Which design family does the flag of Jamaica belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with saltire (diagonal cross) designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Jamaica?

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.