Flag of the Republic of Botswana
Description
- A light blue field with a central horizontal black stripe edged in white
- The design deliberately contrasts with apartheid-era South Africa's red, white and blue
- Adopted on 30 September 1966 when the Bechuanaland Protectorate gained independence
Trivia
- The national motto 'Pula' means rain in Setswana, which is scarce and precious in the Kalahari
- Black and white evoke the zebra, Botswana's national animal
- One of the few African flags not using Pan-African red, yellow, green, or black
Flag of Botswana
Botswana's flag is a light blue field crossed by a horizontal black stripe bordered with thin white bands. Adopted on 30 September 1966, the day the country became independent from the United Kingdom, the design breaks from the Pan-African palette common elsewhere on the continent.
The light blue represents water and sky, a vital resource in the largely arid Kalahari, and echoes the national motto Pula, meaning rain. The black stripe framed by white evokes the zebra, the national animal, and stands for racial harmony between the nation's peoples. The choice of colours was also a deliberate contrast with the red, white and blue of neighbouring apartheid-era South Africa.
json:data
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"title": "Flag of the Republic of Botswana",
"ratio": "2:3",
"colors": [
{
"color": "light blue",
"hex": "#6DA9D2",
"note": "Represents water, in particular the rain-bearing skies and the national motto Pula ('rain')."
},
{
"color": "white",
"hex": "#FFFFFF",
"note": "Together with black, symbolises racial harmony and the zebra, the national animal."
},
{
"color": "black",
"hex": "#000000",
"note": "Symbolises racial harmony alongside white; drawn from the zebra's stripes."
}
],
"desc": "- A light blue field with a central horizontal black stripe edged in white\n - The design deliberately contrasts with apartheid-era South Africa's red, white and blue\n - Adopted on 30 September 1966 when the Bechuanaland Protectorate gained independence",
"article": "botswana/flag.md",
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"since": "1966-09-30"
},
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"country": "botswana"
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"countryData": {
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"officialName": "Republic of Botswana",
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"un": "member"
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"trivia": "- The national motto 'Pula' means rain in Setswana, which is scarce and precious in the Kalahari\n - Black and white evoke the zebra, Botswana's national animal\n - One of the few African flags not using Pan-African red, yellow, green, or black\n",
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"_name": "Botswana",
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}