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
"Around the World in 80 minutes!"
A combination of information regarding a Nation's flag, History, Geography and Current Events provides an accurate snapshot of the evolution of each country
In just a short period of time this concise information with specific facts will improve your overall understanding of the great countries of the World
A useful Educational Resource accessed from the Index
You can go "Around the World in 80 minutes!"
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!
