Flag of BELIZE

A high qality image of the flag of Belize

The current flag of Belize was adopted on September 21, 1981 after the country gained their independence from the United Kingdom. The flag contains a royal blue field with a red strip on the top and on the bottom and a white disk in the middle with the national coat of arms. The original design of the flag was set in 1950 when Belize began its journey for independence from the UK. After Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom, the two red strips were added. On the flag, the national coat of arms is encircled by 50 olive leaves which stand for the year 1950, the beginning of the quest for independence. Inside the circle of olive leaves is a mahogany tree which is behind a shield that contains an oar and a sledge hammer on the left and to the right a saw and an axe. At the bottom of the shield there is a sailing ship. The images in the shield symbolize Belize’s importance of logging and shipbuilding to the national economy in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The shield on the coat of arms is being supported by two woodcutters of different races. The one on the left is holding an axe and the one on the right has an oar in his hand, again representing the logging and shipbuilding industry in Belize. At the bottom of the coat of arms is the national motto “Sub Umbra Floreo” (Under the Shade I Flourish).