Flag of ZimbabweRepublic of Zimbabwe

What the flag looks like

The Zimbabwean flag consists of seven horizontal stripes in green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow and green, with a white isosceles triangle at the hoist. Inside the triangle is a red five-pointed star bearing the yellow Zimbabwe Bird — a soapstone sculpture of a bird found at the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe. The proportion is 1:2. It was adopted on 18 April 1980, when Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain.

Colors and meaning

Green represents the vegetation and agriculture of Zimbabwe, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, red represents the blood shed during the liberation struggle, black represents the African people of Zimbabwe, and white represents peace. The Zimbabwe Bird represents the country's heritage and the star represents the revolutionary struggle.

Green

Represents the vegetation and agricultural wealth of Zimbabwe. The country is known for its tobacco, maize and other agricultural exports.

Yellow

Represents Zimbabwe's mineral wealth, particularly gold, platinum, diamonds and chrome. Zimbabwe is one of the world's leading producers of platinum.

Red

Represents the blood shed during the long liberation struggle, including the Rhodesian Bush War (1964–1979), which led to independence in 1980.

Black

Represents the African people of Zimbabwe and their heritage, identity and culture. The black stripe is placed in the center of the flag.

White triangle

Represents peace, and the white stripe on the flag represents peace and unity among Zimbabwe's diverse peoples.

Zimbabwe Bird

The yellow Zimbabwe Bird is a soapstone sculpture found at the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a medieval city that was the center of a powerful Shona kingdom. It is the national symbol of Zimbabwe and represents the country's ancient heritage.

Red star

Represents the revolutionary struggle and the socialist ideals that guided the liberation movement.

History and adoption

Zimbabwe was a British colony known as Southern Rhodesia from 1923, then as Rhodesia after 1965, when the white minority government declared independence unilaterally. A long liberation war (1964–1979) was fought by the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) against the Rhodesian government. The Lancaster House Agreement of 1979 led to internationally supervised elections in 1980, won by Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF. Zimbabwe gained independence on 18 April 1980, and the current flag was adopted on the same day. It was designed by the Zimbabwean artist Cedric Herbert and has remained unchanged since.

Key facts

Adopted

18 April 1980

Proportion

1:2

Designer

Cedric Herbert

Capital

Harare

Country code

ZW

Similar flags

Kenya

Historical and related flags

Zimbabwe used several flags during its colonial and independence periods.

• British South Africa Company (1890–1923): Company flags with a shield bearing a Zimbabwe Bird.
• Southern Rhodesia (1923–1964): British Blue Ensign with a colonial badge.
• Rhodesia (1964–1968): Blue Ensign with a badge.
• Republic of Rhodesia (1968–1979): Vertical green-white-green stripes with the Rhodesian coat of arms.
• Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979): Interim flag with vertical green-white-green stripes.
• Current flag (1980–present): Seven stripes with the Zimbabwe Bird and red star.

Frequently asked questions

What does the flag of Zimbabwe look like?

The flag of Zimbabwe has seven horizontal stripes of green, yellow, red and black, with a white triangle at the hoist containing a red five-pointed star and the yellow Zimbabwe Bird. The proportion is 1:2.

When was the flag of Zimbabwe adopted?

The current flag of Zimbabwe was officially adopted on 18 April 1980.

What do the colors mean?

Green represents the vegetation and agriculture of Zimbabwe, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, red represents the blood shed during the liberation struggle, black represents the African people of Zimbabwe, and white represents peace. The Zimbabwe Bird represents the country's heritage and the star represents the revolutionary struggle.

Which flags look similar to the Zimbabwe flag?

Kenya uses black-red-green with white fimbriations and a Maasai shield. Zimbabwe uses the same palette with a different arrangement and the Zimbabwe Bird instead of a shield. The two flags are visually related but distinct.