The current flag of Zimbabwe has one of the most elaborate designs of all of the national flags in Africa. The flag of Zimbabwe was adopted on April 18, 1980. The name Zimbabwe is derived from Shona “Dzimba Dzemabwe”, meaning “Houses of Stone” or stone buildings, today symbolized by the Great Zimbabwe near the present-day town of Masvingo.
Design and Symbolism
Zimbabwe flags have seven horizontal stripes of green, yellow, red, and black. A white triangle stretches along the flag's hoist and contains both a Zimbabwe bird and a red star.
- Green: Represents the rural portions of the country and the agriculture that thrives in those areas.
- Yellow: Symbolizes the nation's mineral resources.
- Red: Represents the blood that the people of Zimbabwe shed during their struggle for independence.
- Black: Represents the black majority.
- White Triangle: Represents peace.
- Red Star: Represents hope for the future of Zimbabwe. The red star is for socialism.
- Zimbabwe Bird: The soapstone bird featured on the flag represents a statuette of a bird found at the ruins of Great Zimbabwe. The bird is a traditional symbol of the nation of Zimbabwe that reflects the strong bond that the indigenous people of Zimbabwe had with the natural world.
Each color on the Zimbabwe flag also symbolizes an aspect of the nation.
Great Zimbabwe & The First Cities of Southern Africa // History Documentary
Historical Flags of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe was a British colony for many years before it gained its independence in the modern era, and it was represented by several different Zimbabwe flags while it was part of the British Empire. The colony was initially known as Southern Rhodesia, which was represented by a standard colonial flag. The flag had a dark blue field and it displayed both the Union Jack in the canton and the seal of Southern Rhodesia in the fly.
The seal featured a shield that displayed a golden pick on a green field below a white stripe with a red lion between two plants. The lion was a symbol of the British Empire, but the other symbols represented the unique features of the colony itself.
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The nation became Rhodesia in 1964 and gained a new flag to go with the new name. It had the same emblems as the old flag, but the field was a significantly lighter shade of blue. That flag was only used until 1968, when it was replaced with a new design that featured a vertical band of white with the nation's coat of arms between two bands of green.
A precursor to the modern flag came into use in 1979, and it was replaced with the current flag of Zimbabwe in 1980.
Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms depicts two kudus on the left and right, each standing on top of an earthly mound composed of stalks of wheat, a pile of cotton, and a head of maize. At their feet there is also a banner emblazoned with the Zimbabwe national motto (Unity, Freedom, Work). The shield itself is green, featuring 14 waves of alternating white and blue waved lines at top (chief argent), and also at the center of the shield a representation of the ancient Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe is shown.
Placed behind the shield are an agricultural hoe (to the left) and an AK-47 automatic rifle (to the right), both of which are tied with twisted strips of green and gold silk.
Interesting Facts
Zimbabwe is situated in south central Africa between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers, covering an area of slightly above 390,000 square kilometres. Almost the whole of Zimbabwe lies more than 300m above sea level. Nature has given Zimbabwe one of the finest climates in the world, which is warm without being oppressive and with a daily average sunshine ranging from four to ten hours all year round.
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Zimbabwe has sixteen (16) official languages, with English being one of them. Zimbabwe’s population stands at approximately 15 million with an annual growth rate of 3.5%.
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