Flag of Botswana

How to read it

The flag was raised for the first time at midnight on 30 September 1966, when Botswana became independent and the Union Jack came down, the government’s Daily News recalls. It was designed by George Winstanley, who came from Britain in 1954 to work for the protectorate government as a district commissioner and was clerk to the Legislative Council before independence; the Daily News describes the sky blue at top and bottom, cut horizontally by a large black stripe with a thin white frame on either side.

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Why the blue matters

Water is scarce in Botswana, and the Daily News says the sky blue dominating the flag stands for water, a precious resource in a country that often suffers drought. The national motto, on the coat of arms, is Pula, “let there be rain”, and the currency is the pula too. To Batswana the word means more than rain, Botswana’s mission in Geneva says: life, happiness, good health and prosperity, and a warm greeting or farewell.

The zebra and the flag

The zebra is the national animal. Botswana’s mission says it was chosen because it is neutral among the tribal symbols and because its black and white match the colours of the flag, which stand for racial harmony. Two zebras hold up the shield of the coat of arms, adopted on 25 January 1966.