Country flag
South Africa Flag
South Africa’s national flag was designed by former State Herald Fred Brownell and first used on 27 April 1994. Its six-colour layout is now defined in...
Where is South Africa?
The highlighted area marks the country on the world map.
About South Africa and its flag
South Africa’s national flag was designed by former State Herald Fred Brownell and first used on 27 April 1994. Its six-colour layout is now defined in Schedule 1 of the Constitution, which specifies both the colours and the geometry of the design.
Flag design and meaning
The rectangular flag has a length-to-width ratio of 3:2. A green Y-shaped band begins at the two hoist-side corners, meets near the centre, and continues to the fly. It is edged in white and gold, with black at the hoist and red above and blue below.
- The green V-shaped central design: The Presidency says this form may be understood as diverse elements of South African society coming together and moving forward in unity. It cautions that the individual colours do not have one universal official meaning.
History and adoption
The current design was first used on 27 April 1994, during South Africa’s democratic transition. The Presidency identifies Brownell as its designer and describes the design and palette as drawing together major elements of the country’s earlier flag history. The later Constitution gives the flag its formal specification.
How to recognise this flag
- Look for the distinctive green Y that joins at the centre and opens toward the hoist.
- The black hoist-side triangle is separated from the red and blue horizontal areas by gold, green, and white edging.
South Africa flag quiz context
On Name The Flag, the South Africa flag is currently grouped as easy difficulty for quiz progression.
Its region is listed as Africa, which helps place the country among nearby geography questions in the game.
Explore more country flags
Compare South Africa with other flags from the quiz.
