The flag of the Republic of South Africa was approved in 1994, when the country held the first democratic elections that ended the existing system of apartheid.
Description and proportions of the South African flag
More than 7000 variants were submitted to the competition for the development of the South African flag project. The flag design proposed by the King of Arms D. Brownell won. The fabric of the flag has a length-to-width ratio of 3: 2 and, according to its author, is a fusion of the past of the republic with its present and future.
The South African flag has six colors and is the most multicolored in the world. The upper right part of the flag is shaped like an inverted trapezoid in red. This shade symbolizes the UK and the English speaking population of South Africa. Below and to the right of the panel is a blue trapezoid, which represents the Netherlands and the Boers. The green middle part of the South African flag reflects the rights of the "colored" people of the country, which include numerous descendants of mixed marriages of Europeans professing the Islamic religion.
From the side of the flagpole, a black triangle "crashes" into the body of the South African flag, symbolizing the struggle of the black population of the country for their freedoms and rights. The yellow "border" of the triangle is a symbol of the Indian population living in southern Africa.
History of the flag of South Africa
The modern flag of South Africa was preceded by the flag of the Union of South Africa, which was a red cloth, on the upper part of which the flag of Great Britain was applied. On the right side of the red field was the JAC coat of arms, placed in a later version of the flag in a round white field.
The competition for the best design of the South African flag was announced in early 1994. Already on March 14, it was first shown to the people of the country, and a week later it was officially adopted. A month later, the state flag of the Republic of South Africa was solemnly hoisted over the government offices of the capital. The six-color banner adorned the inauguration ceremony of the country's first legally elected President, Nelson Mandela.
By law, the flag of a country must be handled with care and respect. Its size is always larger than other flags raised in South Africa on various occasions. It should flutter on the extreme right flagpole in case there are flags of other foreign countries nearby. It is customary to raise the flag of South Africa first in such situations, and lower it last. The ceremony of raising and lowering the flag assumes that every citizen who witnessed this event freezes with his right hand applied to his heart.
