Barbados .bb

Meaning of the Flag

The flag of Barbados was designed by Grantley W. Prescod and was officially adopted to represent Barbados at midnight on 30 November 1966, the day the country gained independence. Prescod and was officially adopted to represent Barbados at midnight on 30 November 1966, the day the country gained independence. The flag is a triband design, with the outermost stripes coloured ultramarine, to represent the sea and the sky, and the middle stripe coloured gold, to represent the sand. This trident is meant to represent the trident of Poseidon, most visibly held by Britannia in Barbados' colonial coat-of-arms.

Flag History

1. 1833
   After some time as a British colony, Barbados became part of the British Windward Islands in 1833, with the Union Jack as its official flag.
2. 1966–present
   

   Current national flag, in use since 1966.

Once Barbados gained its independence, a national flag was adopted. The flag was raised for the first time on the island’s Independence Day on November 30, 1966.

The design of the flag was chosen in a competition held by the government. Over 1,000 entries were submitted, but the winning design was created by Grantley Prescod. Since its adoption, the national flag has remained unchanged.

Prior to the current national flag, Barbados flew the flag of the Colony of Barbados, which was a deface British Ensign with the emblem of Barbados. This was flown from 1870 until 1966. From 1958 to 1962, the nation also flew the flag of the West Indies Federation.

Fun Facts

The flag of Barbados is also known as The Broken Trident.

Location