Belize

3×5' nylon national flag of Belize.

Belize's flag is often called the only national flag to show human beings as a central element. Two woodcutters stand beneath a mahogany tree, a portrait of the timber trade that built the colony.

Design

A royal blue field with a narrow red stripe along the top and bottom edges. In the center is a white disc bearing the coat of arms, ringed by a wreath of 50 leaves.

History & Symbolism

The arms show two woodcutters, one holding an axe and one a paddle, flanking a shield of tools under a mahogany tree, with the motto Sub Umbra Floreo, "under the shade I flourish." The 50 leaves recall 1950, when the independence movement began. Blue was the color of the People's United Party and red of the United Democratic Party; the red stripes were added at independence on 21 September 1981 to unite the two.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 21 September 1981
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: royal blue, red, white, with a multicolored coat of arms
• Emblem: coat of arms in a wreath of 50 leaves

Vexillographer's Note

With its full-color arms, Belize's flag uses more colors than almost any other national flag, which makes it one of the most demanding to reproduce faithfully.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864