The flag of Guyana, known as The Golden Arrowhead, has been the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

since May 1966 when the country became independent from the United Kingdom. It was designed by Whitney Smith, an American

vexillologist Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. The word is a synth ...

(though originally without the black and white

fimbriation In heraldry and vexillology, fimbriation is the placement of small stripes of contrasting colour around common charges or ordinaries, usually in order for them to stand out from the background, but often simply due to the designer's subjective ...

s, which were later additions suggested by the College of Arms in the United Kingdom). The proportions of the national flag are 3:5. The colours are

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

ic, with red for zeal and dynamism, gold for mineral wealth, green for agriculture and forests, black for endurance, and white for rivers and water.

Other flags

The civil air ensign is a copy of the British Civil Air Ensign, with the Guyanese flag in the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

. The naval ensign of Guyana is a version of the national flag, with proportions of 1:2. As part of the British Empire, Guyana's flag was a Blue Ensign with the colonial badge in the fly. An unofficial red version was used at sea. The first flag was introduced in 1875 and was changed slightly in 1906 and 1955. Like all British Ensigns, the colonial flags of Guyana were all ratio 1:2.

Presidential Standards

The Presidential Standard of Guyana came into effect by Proclamation issued on 23 February 1970. Subsequent Presidents have amended this Proclamation to replace the description of the flag contained, to reflect the Presidential Standard they wish to introduce for the duration of their presidency.

Joint Services

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guyana, Flag of Flags introduced in 1966 National flags

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...