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The flag of the Republic of South Africa was adopted in 1994, when the country held its first democratic elections, ending the existing apartheid system.

Description and proportions of the South African flag

More than 7,000 options were submitted to the competition to develop a design for the South African flag. The winning flag design was proposed by Master of Arms D. Brownell. The flag's panel has a length-to-width ratio of 3:2 and, according to its author, represents a fusion of the republic's past with its present and future.
The South African flag has six colors and is the most colorful in the world. Upper right side The flag has the shape of an inverted red trapezoid. This shade symbolizes Great Britain and the South African speaking population. English. Bottom and right on the panel - trapezoid blue, which represents the Netherlands and the Boers. Green middle part The flag of South Africa reflects the rights of the “colored” residents of the country, which include numerous descendants of mixed marriages of Europeans who profess the Islamic religion.
From the side of the pole, a black triangle seems to “cut” 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 South African flag

Modern flag South Africa was preceded by the flag of the Union of South Africa, which was a red panel, on the upper part closest to the staff was the flag of Great Britain. On the right side of the red field was the South African coat of arms, placed in more late version flag in a round field white.
A 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 national flag of the South African Republic was solemnly raised over government agencies capitals. A six-color banner decorated the inauguration ceremony of the country's first legally elected president, Nelson Mandela.
By law, a country's flag must be handled with care and respect. Its size is always larger than other flags raised in South Africa on various occasions. It should fly on the far right flagpole if there are flags of other foreign countries nearby. It is customary for the South African flag to be raised first in such situations and lowered last. The ceremony of raising and lowering the flag requires that every citizen who witnesses this event freezes with his right hand to his heart.

History and meaning of the flag:

National flag of the Republic of South Africa - introduced on April 27, 1994 during the first free elections that put an end to apartheid.

Flag experts, private individuals, and representatives of various parties took part in the flag design competition. It was presented huge amount options - more than 7000. Best project the work of Theo Stylianides and the State King of Arms of the Republic, Frederick J. Brownell, was recognized. The flag was presented to the public on March 14, 1994. It was adopted on March 21, 1994, and introduced on April 27 by the Presidential Proclamation. On the night of April 28, the new flag was solemnly raised for the first time in front of a huge crowd of people; also raised at Nelson Mandela's inauguration on 10 May.

The flag represents a symbiosis of the past, present and future of South Africa and consists of six colors. The flag is full of symbolism. On top of the traditional red, white and blue colors, taken from the previous flag and personifying the “white” past of South Africa (as well as the white population of the country), a fork-shaped cross of the colors of the African Party is superimposed National Congress: black, yellow and green, designed to symbolize the indigenous population and the fight against apartheid. A black triangle with a yellow border “crashes” into the red, white and blue flag of the whites, symbolizing the struggle of the black majority for their rights, victory in this long-term struggle and a won place in the sun. At the same time, green stripes (symbolizing the so-called “colored”) lie between the “black” and “white” zones of the flag. In general, the flag symbolizes, according to the creators, the multiracial future of South Africa. This option was widely accepted, and thus the election flag became the state flag, which was enshrined in the constitution of the republic. The introduction of the new flag meant a rejection of the undesirable contexts associated with the previous SA-SA flag and reflected the democratic nature of the modern South African state.

The flag is the most multi-colored in the world, except for those flags on which the state emblem is placed. There are many unofficial interpretations of the colors of the flag. According to one of them,

Red represents Great Britain and the English-speaking population (based on the traditional color of British Army uniforms, as well as the predominant color on the South African flag);

Blue - the Netherlands and the Boers (since it is blue that is present on the flags of the Netherlands, the Orange Republic and the Transvaal);

White - other whites of South Africa;

Black - the black majority of the country;

Yellow - Indians;

Green - so-called “colored” (since most of them are descendants of mixed marriages of Europeans and Malays and profess Islam).

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Port Elizabeth Express issued a leaflet to fans reminding them how to handle the South African flag. It says:

“The flag should never touch the ground, be used as a tablecloth or curtain, or used for production underwear, bathroom rugs. The flag should be raised at the beginning of the working day and lowered before or during sunset. Anyone who witnesses the raising and lowering of the flag must freeze and stand until the ceremony is completed. The cap, cap or hat must be removed at this moment, and right hand apply it to your heart, saluting the flag. It cannot be turned upside down - according to tradition, this indicates readiness to surrender to the enemy. When placing the national flag next to the flags of other states, the flag should always be placed on the far right, the others in alphabetical order. All flags must be approximately the same size, and none can be larger than the South African flag. The South African flag is always the first to rise and the last to be lowered."

Brief information about the country

The Republic of South Africa (South Africa; African: Republiek van Suid-Afrika, English: Republic of South Africa) is a state in the southern part of the African continent. In the north it borders with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, in the northeast - with Mozambique and Swaziland. Inside the territory of South Africa there is the enclave state of Lesotho.

South Africa is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa and has the largest proportion of white, Asian and mixed populations on the continent. The country has rich mineral resources, is also the most economically developed in Africa and has a relatively strong global position. The only one African country in the G20.

The most important point in the history and politics of South Africa was the racial conflict between the black majority and the white minority. It reached its culmination after the apartheid regime was established in 1948, which lasted until the 1990s. The initiator of the introduction of discriminatory laws was the National Party (in the USSR it was called the Nationalist Party). These policies led to a long and bloody struggle in which black activists such as Steve Biko, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela played leading roles. They were later joined by many whites and coloreds (descendants of the mixed population), as well as South Africans of Indian origin. Pressure from the international community also played a certain role in the collapse of apartheid. As a result, the change political system occurred relatively peacefully: South Africa is one of the few countries in Africa where a coup d'etat has never been carried out.

The new South Africa is often called the Rainbow Country, a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (and championed by Nelson Mandela) as a metaphor for a new, multicultural and multi-ethnic society that overcomes divisions dating back to the apartheid era.

During apartheid in South Africa, members of the African National Congress used the word "Azania" to refer to their country, as an alternative to the then unacceptable official name. The word "Azania" was also used as the name of South Africa in official Chinese diplomatic vocabulary at a time when South Africa maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan (not recognized by China).

South Africa is the first state to have, but voluntarily renounce, nuclear weapons.

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Flag of the Republic of South Africa
South Africa
Approved April 27
Proportion
Author of the flag Frederick Brownell


2:3 Flag naval forces South Africa

The flag represents a symbiosis of the past, present and future of South Africa and consists of six colors. The flag is full of symbolism. On top of the traditional red, white and blue colors, taken from the previous flag and representing the “white” past of South Africa (as well as the white population of the country), superimposed a forked cross of the colors of the African National Congress party: black, yellow and green, designed to symbolize the indigenous population and the fight against apartheid. A black triangle with a yellow border “crashes” into the red, white and blue flag of the whites, symbolizing the struggle of the black majority for their rights, victory in this long-term struggle and a won place in the sun. At the same time, green stripes (symbolizing the so-called “colored”) lie between the “black” and “white” zones of the flag. In general, the flag symbolizes, according to the creators, the multiracial future of South Africa. This option was widely accepted, and thus the election flag became the state flag, which was enshrined in the constitution of the republic. The introduction of the new flag meant a rejection of the undesirable contexts associated with the previous South African-South African flag, and reflected the democratic nature of the modern South African state.

The flag is the most colorful in the world [ ], except for those flags on which the state emblem is placed. There are many unofficial interpretations of the colors of the flag. According to one of them,

  • Red represents Great Britain and the English-speaking population (from the traditional color of British Army uniforms, and also as the predominant color on the flag:

    “The flag should never touch the ground, be used as a tablecloth or curtain, or used to make underwear or bathroom rugs. The flag should be raised at the beginning of the working day and lowered before or during sunset. Anyone who witnesses the raising and lowering of the flag must freeze and stand until the ceremony is completed. At this moment, you need to take off your cap, cap or hat, and put your right hand to your heart, saluting the flag. It cannot be turned upside down - according to tradition, this indicates readiness to surrender to the enemy. When placing the national flag next to the flags of other states, the flag should always be placed on the far right, with the rest in alphabetical order. All flags must be approximately the same size, and none can be larger than the South African flag. The South African flag is always the first to rise and the last to be lowered."