Africa

Flag of Namibia

Namibia is a southern African country known for the Namib Desert — one of the world's oldest deserts, having been arid for at least 55 million years — from which the country takes its name. It is one of Africa's most sparsely populated countries despite being larger than France. Namibia has spectacular wildlife experiences including the desert-adapted elephants and lions of Damaraland and the vast seal colonies of Cape Cross.

CapitalWindhoek
RegionAfrica
Current flag since1990
Main coloursBlue, Red, Green, Yellow, White
Populationabout 2.6 million
Areaabout 825,000 km²
Flags in history4

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of Namibia means

Blue represents the sky, the Atlantic Ocean and the importance of water; red the people and their heroism; green the vegetation; and white peace and unity. The golden sun with twelve triangular rays stands for life and energy. The flag was adopted at independence from South Africa in 1990, combining colours of the country's main political parties.

More about the flag

Namibia was governed by South Africa from the end of the First World War until independence on 21 March 1990, after a long struggle led by SWAPO. The flag was chosen from public designs by a committee shortly before independence. Namibia contains the Namib, often called the world's oldest desert, and its sand dunes at Sossusvlei are among the tallest on Earth.

How to recognise it

Diagonal red-white stripe from lower left to upper right; blue in upper left, green in lower right, with a yellow sun.

Did you know?

Namibia has the second-lowest population density in the world after Mongolia.

Easily confused with

Namibia's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:

Botswana

South Africa

Flag history of Namibia

Every flag that has flown over Namibia, from today back through time.

1990–present

Flag of Namibia

Adopted at independence from South African rule in 1990, assembled from three finalist designs. Its diagonal red band, blue and green triangles, and golden sun reflect the colors of SWAPO.

1915–1990

South West Africa (South African rule)

After seizing it from Germany in 1915, South Africa governed the territory as South West Africa, eventually flying the orange-white-blue "Oranje-Blanje-Blou." Pretoria refused to relinquish the mandate and extended apartheid into the territory, triggering a decades-long liberation war by SWAPO until independence in 1990 — the last country in mainland Africa to be freed from colonial-style rule.