Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis’s flag is divided by a black diagonal band edged in yellow, carrying two white stars, with green above and red below. The government says green is the fertile land, yellow the year-round sunshine, black African heritage, red the struggle from slavery through colonialism to independence, and the white stars hope and liberty.
Easily confused with
- Flag of Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago’s flag is red, crossed from the top corner by the pole to the bottom corner at the fly by a black band edged in white. The Office of the President says the red stands for the vitality of the land and its people, the warmth and energy of the sun and the people’s courage and friendliness, the white for the sea that binds the islands and the equality of all, and the black for the dedication of a people joined by one strong bond.
- Flag of TanzaniaThe same black band edged in yellow from the bottom corner by the pole; Tanzania’s has no stars and is green and blue.
How to read it
The flag was adopted on 19 September 1983, the day of independence, and was designed by Edrice Lewis in a national design competition, the government says. Norway’s Store norske leksikon adds that Lewis was a student when she won. It gives the proportions as 2:3 and describes the flag as divided diagonally, from the lower corner by the pole to the upper corner at the fly, into a green triangle above and a red one below, with a black band edged in yellow between them carrying two white five-pointed stars. The flag serves every purpose except military ones, the encyclopedia says: the navy flies a white ensign with a red St George’s cross and the national flag in the top corner by the pole.
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What the two stars stand for
The government says the white stars are symbols of hope and liberty, and gives them no other meaning. The encyclopedia says they stand for the two islands, St Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, and also for hope and freedom. The encyclopedia notes too that green, yellow, black and red are the Pan-African colours, explained differently on this flag.
Why a new flag in 1983
The flag was taken into use after Anguilla was formally separated from the federation in 1980, Store norske leksikon says. The coat of arms of 1967 shows the same change: it was nearly identical to today’s, but its motto was “Unity in Trinity”, for the time when Anguilla was part of the larger colony.
Telling it from Tanzania’s and Trinidad and Tobago’s flags
Tanzania’s flag is built the same way, a black band edged in yellow running up from the bottom corner by the pole, but it has no stars, and its two triangles are green by the pole and blue at the fly, according to Store norske leksikon. Trinidad and Tobago’s flag is red on both sides of its black diagonal band, which is edged in white, and has no stars. Saint Kitts and Nevis has green above the band, red below, yellow edges and two white stars.
Read next
- Next in North and Central American flagsFlag of Saint LuciaSaint Lucia’s flag is cerulean blue with a black triangle edged in white and a smaller gold triangle in front of its base, recalling the Pitons, the twin mountains at Soufrière. The government says the blue is fidelity and the sky and sea around the island, the gold is sunshine and prosperity, and the black and white are the island’s two cultures living and working in unity.
- The same shape in African flagsFlag of AngolaAngola’s flag is red over black with a yellow emblem in the centre: part of a cogwheel, a machete and a five-pointed star. Its constitution says the red is the blood shed by Angolans under colonial oppression, in the liberation struggle and in defence of the country, and the black is the African continent; the cogwheel stands for workers and industry, the machete for peasants, farming and the armed struggle, the star for international solidarity and progress, and their yellow for the country’s wealth.
More north and Central American flags
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines, squares and rectangles or stars.
Sources
- National Symbols (Government of St. Kitts and Nevis), Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, “National Symbols”, gov.kn, Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, National Flag
- Saint Kitts og Nevis’ flagg og våpen (Store norske leksikon), Lars Roede, “Saint Kitts og Nevis’ flagg og våpen”, Store norske leksikon, Store norske leksikon, article text
- Tanzanias flagg og våpen (Store norske leksikon), Lars Roede, “Tanzanias flagg og våpen”, Store norske leksikon, Store norske leksikon, article text
- Trinidad og Tobagos flagg og våpen (Store norske leksikon), Lars Roede, “Trinidad og Tobagos flagg og våpen”, Store norske leksikon, Store norske leksikon, article text
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 13, 2026. How we research
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