Flag of Dominica

The British colony Dominica led until independence on 03.11.1978 a British Blue Ensign as national flag, i.e. a dark blue flag cloth with a flag representation ? the British Union Jack ? in the upper corner. The Union Jack indicates the connection to Great Britain. This had introduced in 1864 a flag system in which

? Warships carry a so-called "White Ensign" (naval ensign), a white flag often with a continuous red George Cross and with the Union Jack in the upper corner,

? Merchant ships a "Red Ensign" (also called "Civil Ensign", which is actually a merchant flag), a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper corner, and

? Service ships carried a "Blue Ensign" (government flag => the actual state flag), a blue flag with the Union Jack in the upper corner.

Since 1865 ships of colonial governments were allowed to fly a Blue Ensign with a badge in the flying end. The respective governments were to provide appropriatee bagdes. Dominica, with its own administration since 1967, did not display a badge on the flag, but the coat of arms awarded in 1961.

When Dominica became independent on 03.11.1978, a green flag with a tricolor cross (yellow, white and black) was introduced, bearing a red disc in the center with ten green stars and a parrot. The flag was designed by Alwin Bully. In the years until 1990 there were some changes: 1981 order of colors in the cross, 1988 reflection of the parrot around a vertical axis, 1990 removal of yellow borders from the green stars.

The color green represents the nature of the island, and the three-colored cross represents Christianity and the Christian Trinity. Yellow symbolizes the sun and fertility, as well as the mulattos. White embodies water and purity, as well as the white islanders. Black symbolizes the earth, as well as African Americans. The red disc originally represented the island's socialist development program. The ten stars in the disc embody the spiritual administrative districts of the island. The parrot in the center of the disc is a sisserou (Amazon Imperialis), the national symbol of Dominica. It was taken from the national coat of arms.

This shows two of these birds as shield holders, and a quadripartite escutcheon. The individual fields show regional motifs: palm tree, frog, sailboat and banana tree. Above the shield, on a golden-blue bead, a golden British lion. Below the shield a banner with the state motto in French: "Aprés Bondies c'est la Ter" => "After God comes the land".

Green, with a centered cross of three equal stripes; the vertical part is yellow, black and white; the horizontal part is yellow, black and white; in the center of the flag there is a red disc showing a parrot surrounded by ten green five-pointed stars in yellow.

Hymn