Last month, we took you through the fascinating story of the eagle, the snake, and the cactus in association with the colourful flag of Mexico. Now, we’re back with another interesting story about the colourful flag of Bahamas! Read on to know all about it…
Bahamian islands are situated in the south-east direction from Florida and it has over 300,000 inhabitants. The Bahamian islands used to be a British colony until it gained independence in 1973, when the current flag of the Bahamas was adopted as well. Following independence, the economy begun to focus on trade and tourism.
The flag of The Bahamas was officially hoisted on 10th of July, 1973, the date of the nation’s independence from the United Kingdom. A local competition for a new national flag was held, although no single entry was chosen. Instead, many entries were combined to create the new flag.
The national flag of the Bahamas comprises of a black triangle situated at the hoist with three horizontal bands: aquamarine, yellow and aquamarine! The two aquamarine stripes represent the water that surrounds the islands – Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The yellow stripe represents the sand and other rich land resources. The black triangle on the left side represents the people and their strength. Some believe that it stands for the black population of the island. Some also believe that the yellow stripe evokes the sun, sand, and beautiful local beaches!
Do you know how the flag of the Bahamas looked like prior to 1973? It was the Bahamian Blue Ensign, a field of blue with the Union Jack in the canton and the Bahamas flag badge on the field. The badge, dating back from 1850 was not officially approved until 1964. It showed a British ship pursuing two pirate vessels. The motto surrounding the badge was “Expulsis piratis restituta commercia” meaning “Pirates repulsed, commerce restored.”
The symbolism of the present flag is as follows:
Black, which is believed to be a strong colour, represents the vigour and force of a united people. The triangle pointing towards the body of the flag represents the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop and possess the rich resources of the sun and sea symbolized by gold and aquamarine respectively.
We hope you got a glimpse into the interesting culture and history of Bahamas through their flag!
