Country flag
Botswana Flag
Botswana’s national flag is a restrained horizontal design in light blue, white and black. The Botswana Emblems Act, which declares the national flag, c...
Where is Botswana?
The highlighted area marks the country on the world map.
Zoomed location
This country is small on the world map, so this inset shows nearby countries for context.
About Botswana and its flag
Botswana’s national flag is a restrained horizontal design in light blue, white and black. The Botswana Emblems Act, which declares the national flag, commenced on 30 September 1966. Government accounts record the flag being raised as Botswana became independent that day.
Flag design and meaning
The design has a broad light-blue field above and below a central black horizontal band. Narrow white bands border the black stripe, producing five horizontal colour areas in the order blue, white, black, white and blue.
- Blue field: Botswana’s mission in Geneva states that the blue represents the sky and water; it connects water with the national salutation, Pula, meaning “let there be rain.”
- White-black-white centre: The mission states that the white, black and white colours depict racial harmony and the nation’s pluralistic racial composition.
History and adoption
The Botswana Emblems Act came into force on 30 September 1966, the date of independence. A government account records the Union Jack being lowered at midnight and a new Botswana flag being raised; another official account identifies the National Stadium as the site of that first hoisting.
How to recognise this flag
- The wide light-blue upper and lower areas make the flag read as blue from a distance.
- At the centre, a single black horizontal band is closely edged in white on both sides; there are no stars, badge or coat of arms.
Botswana flag quiz context
On Name The Flag, the Botswana flag is currently grouped as hard difficulty for quiz progression.
Its region is listed as Africa, which helps place the country among nearby geography questions in the game.
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