Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

What the flag means

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs links blue to the sky and sea, gold to warmth, the bright spirit of the people and the sands of the Grenadines, and green to the island's vegetation and the vitality of its people. The diamonds, set in a V for Vincent, stand for the many islands, the 'gems of the Antilles'.

History

The first flag, designed by Elaine Liverpool, was adopted at independence on 27 October 1979 and carried the coat of arms on a breadfruit leaf. It was costly to make and the leaf was hard to make out at a distance. After the New Democratic Party won the 1984 election, James Mitchell's government sought a new design. A national contest produced nothing suitable, so the government commissioned the Swiss graphic artist Julien van der Wal.

The diamonds sit slightly below the centre of the flag, a reference to the islands' position in the Antilles.

Earlier flags of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1. 1907–1979British Blue Ensign with the colony's badge
2. 1979–1985Blue, gold and green bands edged in white, with the arms on a breadfruit leaf
3. 1985The 1979 design without the white edging, used from March to October