Flag of Tanzania
A black diagonal band edged in yellow runs from the lower hoist corner to the upper fly corner. The triangle above it is green and the triangle below is light blue.
What the flag means
The government booklet Tanzania National Symbols, from the Information Service Division in the Prime Minister's office, gives the meanings: green for the land, black for the people, blue for the sea and yellow for mineral wealth.
History
Tanganyika and Zanzibar united on 26 April 1964, and their flags were merged. The green and black came from Tanganyika's flag and the blue from Zanzibar's, with the stripes set on a diagonal. The National Flag and Coat of Arms Act, dated 1971, was made to apply from the day of the union.
Since 2005 Zanzibar has also had its own flag: blue, black and green stripes with the national flag in the canton.
Earlier flags of Tanzania
- 1961–1964Tanganyika: green field with a gold-edged black horizontal band
- 1963–1964Sultanate of Zanzibar: red field with a green disc and two yellow cloves
- 1964People's Republic of Zanzibar: horizontal blue, black and green tricolour
Flags of Tanzania's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Tanzania
- Flags of the World: Tanzania
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
