🇯🇲

Flag of Jamaica

North America

Download SVG

Quick Facts

Capital
Kingston
Flag adopted
1962
Population
2,825,544
Area
10,991 km²
Languages
English, Jamaican Patois
Currency
Jamaican dollar ($) — JMD
Demonym
Jamaican
Government
parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy
Subregion
Caribbean
Driving side
Left
Timezones
UTC-05:00
Independence
1962

Religions

  • Protestant 64.8%
  • None 21.3%
  • Other 6.5%
  • Unspecified 2.3%
  • Roman Catholic 2.2%
  • Jehovah's Witness 1.9%
  • Rastafarian 1.1%

About This Flag

The flag of Jamaica features a gold (yellow) saltire (diagonal cross) that divides the flag into four triangles — green on the top and bottom, black on the hoist and fly sides. The gold represents the natural wealth and beauty of sunlight, the green symbolizes the lush vegetation and agriculture as well as hope for the future, and the black reflects the strength and creativity of the Jamaican people and the hardships they have overcome.

The flag was adopted on August 6, 1962, upon independence from the United Kingdom. Jamaica's flag is one of only two current national flags that do not contain the colors red, white, or blue (the other being Mauritania's).

What the colors & design mean

Gold represents the sunshine and natural wealth of the island. Green symbolizes the lush vegetation, agricultural resources, and hope for the future. Black represents the strength, creativity, and resilience of the Jamaican people.

green yellow black

Pattern: Diagonal Design

Fun Facts

  • Jamaica's flag is one of only two current national flags that contain neither red, white, nor blue — the other being Mauritania's.
  • The original motto associated with the flag's colors was 'Hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth,' which was later simplified.
  • Jamaica was the first Caribbean country to gain independence in the 1960s wave of decolonization and is the third-largest island in the Caribbean.
  • Jamaica's flag uses a saltire (diagonal cross) design, making it one of the few national flags to feature this element — Scotland and the Confederate Battle Flag are other well-known examples.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

🇯🇲 Tanzania 🇯🇲 Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇯🇲 Guyana 🇯🇲 Republic of the Congo

More North America Flags

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda · 🇧🇸 Bahamas · 🇧🇧 Barbados · 🇧🇿 Belize · 🇨🇦 Canada · 🇨🇷 Costa Rica · 🇨🇺 Cuba · 🇩🇲 Dominica

View all North America flags →

Explore by Category

Flags with green Flags with yellow Flags with black Diagonal Design

Test Your Knowledge!

Think you can identify the flag of Jamaica?

Play Flag Quiz