The current flag was first officially hoisted on 6th of August in 1962 on the
occasion of the country's independence. The flag is divided into two green and
two black triangular fields by a yellow (golden) diagonal cross. The green
stands for hope and agriculture, the yellow (gold) for sunlight and natural
resources, and the black for the difficulties of the past as well as the
present. The colours of the flag were determined in a competition held
beforehand.
Jamaica still uses the British Ensign
system today. This points to the links with Great Britain, as the naval flag
is a White Ensign, a white flag with a continuous red St George's Cross and
with the national flag in the top corner, and since 2022 there is a
"Red Ensign" as merchant flag.
The colours of the flag of Jamaica,
apart from black, are as follows: Yellow = Pantone 109 C, Green = Pantone 355 C,
where the flags follow British specifications, the following colours also apply:
Blue = Pantone 280 C, Red = Pantone 186 C.
From the time the country
became a British possession, individuals, citizens and the authorities
represented their status as citizens or organs of the British nation, embodied
in the United Kingdom, through the use of the Union Jack, then called the "Union
Flag". At sea, the British merchant flag, the Red Ensign, was intended for
British citizens from 1864. In a few cases, the citizens of a colony were
authorised by the Admiralty to use their own Red Ensign with the colony's badge
at sea. This means that the Union Flag is the national and state flag on land.
Jamaica became part of the Federation of the West Indies in 1985 and a
dissociated own colony in 1962.
United Kingdom introduced a flag system
in 1864 in which: • war ships fly the "White Ensign" (naval flag), a white
flag often with an uninterrupted red St. George's-Cross and with the Union Jack
in the upper staff quadrant of the flag, • merchant ships fly a "Red Ensign"
(also named "Civil Ensign" → civil flag, the real merchant flag), a red flag
with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag, and •
governmental ships fly the "Blue Ensign" (flag for the use by the gouvernment →
the actual state flag), a blue flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff
quadrant of the flag.
From 1865, the ships of the colonial governments
were allowed to use a Blue Ensign with a badge at the flying end. The respective
governments were to provide appropriate badges. Merchant ships and seafaring
privateers from colonies were only allowed to use a Red Ensign with a badge if
the British Admiralty had issued a corresponding licence for that colony.
Such a badge was often a regional landscape depiction on a disc, often
showed ships, historical events or could simply be a kind of logo. Very often a
badge also contained the name of the country or a motto. However, some
possessions had a coat of arms from the beginning or were given their own coat
of arms over the years and the badge was abolished. To ensure a largely uniform
appearance in the flying end of the flags, coats of arms and other symbols were
displayed on a white disc in the size of the former badges.
However,
there were also exceptions, as some colonies dispensed with this white disc and
placed their coat of arms or even just the shield – sometimes enlarged –
directly on the bunting. As early as the 1940s, the white disc was removed and
the coat of arms was applied directly or enlarged. This conversion process took
place gradually, nowhere simultaneously and completely. In some British
possessions flags with the white disc are still in use today, in others no
longer and in some areas both variants exist side by side.
Jamaica
received its own coat of arms in 1875. It showed a red cross (St George's cross)
in silver (white), covered with five golden (yellow) pineapple fruits; above the
shield a helmet, and on the helmet a crocodile on a tree trunk. Also in 1875, an
own "Blue Ensign" was introduced as the state flag at sea, a dark blue bunting
with a flag depiction – the British Union Jack – in the upper corner, which
showed the coat of arms on a white disc in the flying end of the flag. All
changes to the coat of arms of Jamaica (1906, 1957, 1962) were also reproduced
on the flag.
In 1953, internal self-government was granted by United
Kingdom, which was extended again in 1961.
From 1958 to 1962 the
territory was also part of the British colony "Federation of the West Indies".
This political project was an attempt to unify the administration and to create
a state modelled on Canada, but also to counteract the independence efforts of
the associated islands and colonies. However, jealousies arose between the large
and small islands and even led to open dispute. The flag of the "Federation of
the West Indies" was a light blue flag with four horizontal white wavy lines and
a golden disc in the middle. It symbolized the sun over the Caribbean Sea. There
is some doubt about the color of the blue; it is often assumed to be the usual
British heraldry blue. However, a contemporary description calls it an "imperial
blue" which would be light blue and many contemporary prints also show this
light blue.
Independence was granted by United Kingdom on 6th of August
in 1962. The current flag was introduced in this context.
The coat of arms was alredy awarded to the then British colony in the year 1661. It shows in silver (white) a red cross (Cross of St. George), added by five golden (yellow) pineapple fruits. Upon the shield an helmet, and upon the helmet a crocodile on a stem. As shield holders serve an arawak indian couple, which stands on a banner with inscription. Since 1906 the coat of arms was showed even in the Blue Ensign – the official flag of the colony – within a white disc. Previously (since 1875) there appeared only a badge. That showed the blazon as oval with the helmet and the crocodile above. In the year 1957 the coat of arms gots few changed, as the helmet was styled some abundanter and the banner with inscription was creased otherwise. In the year 1962, the year of independence, was the hitherto used motto in the banner with inscription "Indus uterque serviet uni" (Both India will serve one") changed into "Out of many, one People". Furthermore the colour of the banner was changed from silver to gold.
The name of the country goes back to the language of the Caribbean, the extincted Indian population. "Chaymaka" was in the language of the Caribbean "the well watered". Other sources cite the Arawak Indians as a source. In their language is "xaymaca" to translate as "land of water sources". On which people the name its roots actually has, can not be determined beyond doubt. Both peoples lived on the island at the same time.
