Flag of Belize

What the flag means

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the 50 leaves stand for 1950, when Belizeans began the struggle for independence. Blue was the colour of the People's United Party and red that of the opposition United Democratic Party. The arms show logging tools, a ship and a mahogany tree, with the motto 'Sub Umbra Floreo' (Under the shade I flourish).

History

From 1950 an unofficial blue flag of the People's United Party, with the arms on a white disc, was in use. A national competition in 1981 picked an entry based on it by Everal Waight and Inez Sanchez, which had a red border on all four sides; the border was cut back to the top and bottom before adoption. Colours and proportions were standardised in 2019, and Parliament passed a National Symbols Act in February 2025.

The two men holding the shield are a Mestizo with a beating axe and an Afro-Belizean with a paddle, both tools of the logging trade.

Earlier flags of Belize

1. 1981–2019Same layout before the 2019 standardisation of colours and proportions

Flags of Belize's neighbours

• Guatemala
• Mexico