After independence in 1962, government officials claimed the black color stood for the challenges the country faced, the green represented the island itself, and the gold color symbolized the bright sun that shines over the land. Over time, the meaning behind the colors of Jamaica's flag has changed. The flag of Jamaica is unique compared to other flags around the world in that it is the only flag that does not contain one of the following colors: red, white, or blue. The flag has a height to width ratio of 1:2. In its original design, the bands of the flag were placed in a horizontal position, but the government soon realized the design was nearly identical to the flag of Tanganyika. The flag's design was selected through a public nationwide competition. It was officially adopted on August 6, 1962, when Jamaica gained its independence from the United Kingdom. The flag of Jamaica is sometimes referred to as “The Cross” or as the “Black, Green, and Gold” because of its colors. The flag was originally designed with horizontal stripes, but this was considered too similar to the Tanganyikan flag, and so the stripes were substituted with saltire. The triangles above and below the cross are dark green in color, while the triangles to the left and right of the cross are black. This cross creates 4 triangular areas on the flag.
The flag a tricolor flag consisting of a gold-colored cross shape running diagonally from corner to corner. The flag of Jamaica was adopted on August 6, 1962.