Flag of Jamaican - Description of the Jamaican Flag
As the
above picture of the Jamaican Flag indicates the background is
tri-colored - green, black and yellow
A diagonal
yellow cross divides the Jamaican flag into four triangles - green (top
and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
According to
Ancient and Heraldic traditions much symbolism is associated
with colors. The colors on the Jamaican flag represent the
following more modern symbolism and illustrates the meaning and
history of the Jamaican flag:
Yellow - a
symbol of sunshine and natural resources
Green -
the land and hope for the future
Black -
the burdens borne by the people
The
basic style shown in the picture of the Jamaican flag is
described as Cross - reflecting the
central design of the flag pattern
All Flag
pictures depict flags flying, from the viewer's point of view,
from left to right
The shape and flag ratio of the Jamaican flag is described as 1:2 ( length twice the height )
The
Jamaican
National Flag came into use on August 6, 1962
Flag
Terminology - Did you Know ?
The design and description
uses specific flag terminology based on Heraldic principles
Animal blazons should always appear
with the heads facing the flag - staff side
The Study of the Flags is called
Vexillology
Your interest in flags makes you a
Vexillologist!
Increase your knowledge - Play the
Flag Quiz
Additional
interesting information about the Jamaican Flag
We would like extend our grateful thanks to John McGhie who has
provided us with the following interesting information about the
Jamaican Flag:
"At the time of Jamaican independence from Great Britain on 6
August 1962 I was living in Jamaica with my parents and my
father, who was a Presbyterian minister there, was a friend of
the Jamaican Prime Minister at the time, Sir Alexander
Bustamante. Prior to independence they were discussing the
design of the Jamaican flag which was to be a tricolour, when my
father said to him that as Jamaica was a Christian country it
would be good if the flag could have a cross in it. Sir
Alexander asked him what he had in mind so my father traced out
the Scottish flag and coloured it in green, black and gold. Sir
Alexander liked the idea and so adopted my father's suggestion
and design. My father was Rev William McGhie from Glasgow and I
think it is important that this background information is known
and it is also very important that people know it is based on
the Scottish saltire."
Flag History &
Evolution:
The idea of
flying a flag grew from the requirements of ancient warfare and
the battlefield
Shields were
painted with emblems to identify Friend or Foe
Warriors
needed to know where their leaders were - the custom of carrying
a pole was adopted
An emblem
such as a shield, animal or religious device was attached to the
pole for identification
The emblems
were also used for identity and to cover suits of armour - Coats
of Arms were born
These
emblems were the forerunners of modern flags
The Romans
were the first to use a cloth flag - they were square and
fastened to cross bars at the end of spears - the idea of
fastening a flag to the side of a pole soon followed
The strict
rules of Heraldry are still used when designing an emblem and
creating a modern flag
Jamaican
Flag Etiquette
Jamaican Flag etiquette is very strict and is is
essential that Flag protocols and rules are followed correctly
Basic Flag
Etiquette applies to all nations, including Jamaican as follows:
Etiquette relating to the order of
precedence for the flag
National Flag of
Jamaican
State Flag of
Jamaican
Military Flag of
Jamaican (in order of creation date)
Other Flag of
Jamaican
The United Nations uses alphabetical order
when presenting a national flag including the Jamaican Flag. Their flag etiquette ensures
that no one country's flag has precedence over another country's
flag
The National flag of
Jamaican should never be flown
above another national flag on the same staff as this would
suggest superiority, or conversely, inferiority of one flag, or
Nation, over another
The Jamaican flag should never be allowed to drag
along the ground
A tattered or faded flag of
Jamaican should be removed
and replaced with a new flag
Due care and
consideration must be taken to ensure that the Jamaican flag is
always
flown the correct way up
A Flag of Jamaican, when in such
condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display,
should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning in
private with all due care and respect
Terminology & Etiquette in Jamaican Flag display
Hoist - the
act or function of raising the Jamaican flag, as on a rope
Half Staff
or Half Mast - the Jamaican flag is hoisted to half of the potential
height of the flag pole to denote grief and mourning
Performed
by first raising the Jamaican flag to the top, then lowering the
Jamaican Flag halfway
Distress -
denoted by flying the Jamaican flag upside-down
Manner of
hoisting - The Jamaican flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered
ceremoniously
No
disrespect should be shown to the Jamaican flag
The Jamaican flag
should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a
manner as to permit the Flag to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in
any way
The Jamaican
flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it,
nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure,
design, picture, or drawing on the flag of any nature
The
Jamaican flag should be hoisted first and lowered last
International Flag relating to
Jamaican
Flag usage forbids the
display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation
in time of peace
We hope that the presentation of facts and
information regarding Jamaican Flag Etiquette has provided a useful
resource
Jamaica
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea,
south of Cuba
Main Colors of
Jamaican Flag :
green, black and yellow
Jamaican is commonly mis-spelt
as Jamacan
Concise Jamaican History its Flag
The Ciboney, Arawak
and the Carib
Indians first inhabited Jamaica
The name of
the country derives from the Arawak name Xamayca, meaning land
of wood and water
The Caribs
and the Arawaks were tropical forest people who probably
originated in South America and were related the people found
anywhere from Panama to Brazil
Not
discovered by Europeans until 1492 when Christopher Columbus
first landed in the New World
Columbus
used it as his family's private estate
The
Spanish claimed the Islands
The Caribs
and the Arawaks were progressively wiped out by the
after-effects of the Spanish conquest, with the more peaceful
Arawak tribes suffering the greater losses
The Spanish
were continuously harassed by the native Caribs and by pirates
and buccaneers who attacked the Spanish galleons which were
carrying riches back to Spain
The pirates
who operated in the Islands included Blackbeard, Calico Jack,
Anne Bonny, Henry Morgan, Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake
The British
seized the island in 1670
Jamaica
became the world's largest sugar exporting nation with the
massive use of imported African slave labor
The
Jamaican sugar plantations, worked by African slaves, lead to a slave trading and slave auctions
In 1838
slavery was formally abolished
1914 - 1918
WW1
1939 - 1945
WW11
August 1945
The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
1958 Jamaica
became a province of the Federation of the West Indies
Jamaica
separated from the federation and became independent, within the
British Commonwealth, in 1962
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The
Jamaican Flag and Nation
We hope that the presentation of facts
and information regarding the Jamaican Flag and Nation has
provided a useful educational resource. To improve your knowledge
of Flags and Vexillology still further check out the Flag and Nations
Index and test your knowledge with our
interactive, multi-choice, picture-based Flag Trivia Quiz Game - it's fast and
it's fun! If you answer all questions correctly you will earn the
right to enter the Vexillologist Hall of Fame!
