Flag of Barbados
Encyclopedia
The national flag of Barbados
was officially adopted on 30 November 1966, the island's first Independence Day
. It consists of a triband
of two bands of ultramarine
separated by a golden middle band. A black trident
-head (commonly called the "broken trident") is centred within the golden band. The flag was designed by local art teacher Grantley Prescod, and was chosen from around 1000 designs after an island-wide contest.
The two blue bands are said to stand for the ocean, while the gold is for the sand on the island. The trident is taken from the old colonial badge, which showed Britannia
holding a trident, the broken lower part symbolizes a symbolic break with its historical and constitutional ties as a former colony. The three points of the trident represent the three principles of democracy - government of, for, and by the people.
The official British Standard colour code
numbers for the flag are:
Ultramarine — BCC 148
Gold — BS O/002.
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
was officially adopted on 30 November 1966, the island's first Independence Day
Independence Day
An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another nation or state, and more rarely after the end of a military occupation...
. It consists of a triband
Triband (flag)
The triband is one of the most common designs of flag, and is the design of some 30% of all current national flags.As the name suggests, the main feature of the design of a triband is three parallel bands of colour. Many non-vexillologists use the term tricolour to describe these flags, but...
of two bands of ultramarine
Ultramarine
Ultramarine is a blue pigment consisting primarily of a double silicate of aluminium and sodium with some sulfides or sulfates, and occurring in nature as a proximate component of lapis lazuli...
separated by a golden middle band. A black trident
Trident
A trident , also called a trishul or leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The major Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea god Poseidon or Neptune are...
-head (commonly called the "broken trident") is centred within the golden band. The flag was designed by local art teacher Grantley Prescod, and was chosen from around 1000 designs after an island-wide contest.
The two blue bands are said to stand for the ocean, while the gold is for the sand on the island. The trident is taken from the old colonial badge, which showed Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
holding a trident, the broken lower part symbolizes a symbolic break with its historical and constitutional ties as a former colony. The three points of the trident represent the three principles of democracy - government of, for, and by the people.
The official British Standard colour code
British Colour Council
The British Colour Council was an industry standards organisation, active from the 1930s to the 1950s, which produced indexes of named colours for use by government, industry, academia, and horticulture.-1930s:...
numbers for the flag are:
Ultramarine — BCC 148
Gold — BS O/002.