South Africa flag is the national flag of South Africa, the country at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. The flag’s design centers around a green stripe that forms a horizontal Y shape. The two arms of the Y extend inward from the corners nearest the flagpole. They meet at the center of the flag and continue as one line to the outer edge. The Y design symbolizes the coming together of the different groups in South African society. It also represents the groups’ unity in the road ahead.
Between the arms of the Y is a black triangle with a yellow border. Above the green Y is a white border and a red stripe. Below the Y is a white border and a blue stripe. The colors of the South African flag draw upon the nation’s history. Red, white, and blue also appear in the flags of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, which once ruled colonies in what is now South Africa. Green, yellow, and black are the traditional colors of the African National Congress (ANC), a group that helped South Africa’s Black and other nonwhite people gain political rights.
South Africa became independent in 1931. Starting in 1948, its government imposed a strict system of racial segregation called apartheid. The ANC and other groups helped bring an end to apartheid in the early 1990’s. South Africa’s present flag first flew on April 27, 1994, shortly before the country’s first national elections open to all races. The flag design was originally intended to be temporary, but it became popular. In 1996, South Africa’s government adopted the design as the permanent national flag.
