Africa

Flag of South Sudan

South Sudan is the world's newest internationally recognised country, gaining independence from Sudan in July 2011 following a 2005 peace agreement and a referendum in which 98.83% voted for independence. Despite significant oil reserves, it is one of the world's least developed nations and was quickly embroiled in a devastating civil war starting in 2013. Juba, the capital, sits on the Nile River and is a rapidly growing frontier city.

CapitalJuba
RegionAfrica
Current flag since2011
Main coloursBlack, Red, Green, Blue, White, Yellow
Populationabout 11 million
Areaabout 619,000 km²
GeographyLandlocked
Flags in history3

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of South Sudan means

Black represents the people of South Sudan, red the blood shed for freedom, green the land, and the white stripes peace. The blue triangle stands for the waters of the Nile, and the gold star for the unity of the states of South Sudan. Originally the flag of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, it became the national flag at independence in 2011.

More about the flag

South Sudan became the world's newest country on 9 July 2011, after nearly 99 per cent of voters chose independence from Sudan in a referendum. The flag had been used for years by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement during the civil war. Its colours echo those of Kenya, where the peace agreement that led to the referendum was signed in 2005.

How to recognise it

Horizontal black-red-green with white borders and a blue triangle at the hoist containing a yellow star.

Did you know?

South Sudan is the world's newest internationally recognised country, having gained independence in 2011.

Easily confused with

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

Ethiopia

Kenya

Flag history of South Sudan

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

2011–present

Flag of South Sudan

Based on the SPLM liberation banner and first adopted in 2005 under the peace agreement, it carried over unchanged when South Sudan became the world's newest country in 2011.

1956–2011

Part of Sudan

The mostly Christian and animist south was governed as part of Arab-Muslim Sudan from its 1956 independence, flying the Sudanese flag. Two long civil wars over that domination — the second alone killing some two million people — ended in a 2005 peace deal that granted a referendum, and in 2011 the south voted almost unanimously to secede as South Sudan.