The flag of Tanzania was adopted on June 30, 1964. It consists of a black stripe bordered by two yellow diagonal bands that cut across the banner, separating the green color at the upper left corner from the light blue color. The flag holds a deep cultural, regional, and political meaning for the people. For example, Tanzanians commemorate independence day by hoisting the flag to represent the unity and resilience of the people in their struggle for independence.
Presently, Tanzania is a unified country consisting of two territories that were initially separate from each other. One of the earliest flags ever used in the country was in 1891, which was the flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, and it consisted of a red background. When the Germans took over in 1891, Tanganyika was merged with Burundi and Rwanda, thereby becoming the German East Africa. The flag used in this unified territory consisted of a white field with a black cross at the center. At the upper left corner of the flag consists of a red portion with five white stars. This flag was used from 1891 to 1893, and from 1893 to 1919, a different flag was introduced. It consisted of horizontal black, white, and red stripes with a white circle at the center, that featured the German Reichsadler (“Imperial Eagle”).
After World War I, Britain acquired German territorial holdings, including Tanganyika. The new colonizers introduced the British ensign with the Union Jack at the upper left corner of the red field. At the center of the flag was a white circle with the image of a giraffe. While Tanganyika remained under British control, Zanzibar remained a separate colonial jurisdiction. After World War II, Tanganyika became a UN Trust Territory following the dissolution of the League of Nations mandate. In 1890, an agreement was signed that placed Zanzibar under British protection. When Zanzibar gained independence in 1963, they adopted a new flag. This flag consisted of a red field with a green circle at the center, that consisted of two yellow cloves. In 1964, Zanzibar became the People’s Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba, a new flag was adopted. This flag was a tricolored black, yellow, blue. However, this flag was in use briefly, from January 12 to January 29, 1964. This banner was replaced by a blue-black-green horizontal striped flag.
Tanganyika gained independence in 1961, whereas Zanzibar achieved independence in 1963. The struggle for freedom in Tanganyika was led by the Tanganyika Africa National Union (TANU) by Julius Nyerere. The flag of Tanganyika at the time was a horizontal green-black-green. Elections were held in the region, and TANU won. The British suggested a modification of the flag by adding yellow fimbriations. The changes were made, and Tanganyika officially became independent on December 9, 1961. For a long time, Zanzibar was under Arab rule. However, on January 12, 1964, a black regime came to power and introduced a tricolored black, yellow, and blue flag. The next month, the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) also launched its flag, which consisted of a blue-black-green horizontal striped banner. The flag was in use from January to April 1964. The colors represented the sea (blue), the people (black), and the land (green). A white fimbriation was later incorporated to represent peace.
On April 28, 1964, a Union Declaration was signed to unify Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The two territories became a unified region under one government. The ruling political parties, ASP and TANU, consolidated to form the CCM party (Swahili name; Chama Cha Mapinduzi “Party for Change). A new flag was adopted to represent the new nation, which became known as Tanzania. The banner for the new country was derived by adopting elements from the flags of the two territories. The final flag was a bicolored green and blue with a diagonal black bar that is bordered with yellow fimbriations. This flag has been in use since then.
In 2005, the government decided to honor Zanzibar as a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania. This resulted in a different flag for the region, which consists of the original blue-black-green horizontal stripes with the flag of Tanzania at the upper left-hand corner.
Colors
The precise meaning of the colors is:
The color green was adopted from the color of the flag of Tanganyika, whereas the color blue was taken from the color of the flag of Zanzibar.
Moreover, the color green also symbolizes peace and unity. This color acts as a reminder to the people that they need to grow their economy through agriculture and the preservation of their natural resources while upholding unity. The Black represents the Swahili people from Zanzibar and Pemba, as well as the Bantu dominated Tanganyika. This color is a reminder that the people are united through their skin color, and no one should be discriminated based on their complexion.
Shape
The flag of Tanzania has a width to length ratio of 2:3. The green and blue stripes were positioned horizontally to represent the equal status of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. If the flag has a width to length ratio of 6:4, then the black line is 13 inches wide and takes up 13/48th of the hoist size. The yellow borders are each 3 inches wide and cover 1/16th of the flag each.
Do you know any other interesting facts about the flag of Tanzania? Share your thoughts below.
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