Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda
Adopted	February 27, 1967
Designed by	Sir Reginald Samuel
Proportions	2:3

The flag of Antigua and Barbuda is red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band.

Symbolism

• The sun represents the dawning of a new era, characterizes the local tropical climate.
• The red indicates the energy of the people.
• The blue stands for hope, and the Caribbean sea.
• The white for the beaches making the area a popular tourist destination
• The black represents its African ancestry.

The V shape is said to symbolize victory and the overall combination of yellow, blue and white represents the sun, sand and sea of this Caribbean island nation.

It has been suggested that these seven points should represent the six parishes plus the sister island, Barbuda, though the designer himself did not have this in mind.

History

Colonial flag

The coat of arms granted in 1909 to the Leeward Islands (including Antigua and its former dependency Barbuda) had shields for each of the six British island colonies, each based on a local government seal. But the Antigua shield in the arms was an uninspiring view of a fort overlooking a beach on which an agave plant grew. Moreover, the flag badge for the Leeward Islands, as used on the British Blue Ensign, was one of the least dignified in the British Empire. This badge featured a large pineapple and three smaller ones, said to honour the first governor, Sir Benjamin Pine, and his family.

With the 1962 failure of the West Indies Federation, a group of British Caribbean islands, Antigua faced a new future. Antigua assumed a status of being an associated state with the United Kingdom, whereby everything except foreign affairs and defence would be handled by the local government. The transition to this status took place on February 27, 1967, under a new flag.

The competition for that flag design drew 600 entries, including the winning entry by Reginald Samuel. The flag was favoured because it was unique in concept and design and easily recognizable. On its transition to independence on November 1, 1981, Antigua and Barbuda made no change to the flag.

Other flags

The naval ensign of Antigua and Barbuda (which is only used by the coast guard), is a white field with a red cross around the flag, with the national flag of Antigua and Barbuda on the canton.

The flag of the Governor of Antigua and Barbuda, was the Union Jack, with the coat of arms of Antigua and Barbuda inside a wreathed white circle, in the center. The flag was introduced after Antigua and Barbuda became an Associated State (1967), and would be retired after the country would gain its' independence (1981).

Flag Colors

Color	Color Name	HEX RGB	Color of
	Philippine Red	#ce1126	Triangles
	White	#ffffff	White part of the tricolor
	True Blue	#0072c6	Blue part of the tricolor
	Metallic Yellow	#fcd116	Sun
	Black	#000000	Black part of the tricolor