FLAG OF TANZANIA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flag of Tanzania has a black diagonal stripe in the center surrounded by yellow trims, with a blue and a green lateral triangle. It has a design similar to that of the flag of Trinidad and Tobago. It was adopted in 1964, when Tanzania went on to unify and declare itself independent, shortly after the deposition of the Sultan of Zanzibar.

The history of Tanzania has caused the flag to change on several occasions. The events that most influenced the alterations to its design were the world wars, particularly the First World War (1914-1918).

Flag of Tanzania (1964 - Present). National flag, not subjected to copyright terms.

The control of this African region by the European powers has been one of the keys in the changes to the Tanzanian flag, as the region changed ownership at various times in its history.

History

Flag of German East Africa (1893 - 1919)

East German Africa was a region of the continent that comprised the entire territory of what is now Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. It was under the rule of the German Empire from 1893 until 1919, after the end of the First World War.

The region existed as a consequence of the imperialist expansionism of European nations throughout the 20th century. This area of ​​Africa was taken over by the Germans in conjunction with other territories in the region, including what is now Togo and a good part of Ghana.

As was the custom of the German Empire, their African territories did not have a particular flag, but used the same flag of the empire to make their control visible. The German East Africa region did have regional governments, but they were all directly controlled by the German Empire itself.

The flag consisted of three horizontal stripes; the upper one was black, the lower one red and the central one white, which had the coat of arms of the empire in the center.

This entire region was distributed between the kingdoms of Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom after the end of the war, when the League of Nations passed a resolution in which Germany was stripped of all its African territories.

Flag of German East Africa (1893 - 1919). David Liuzzo (attribution)

Flag of the Tanganyika Territory (1919 - 1961)

The Territory of Tanganyika was the name given to the part of East German Africa that came to be controlled by the British after the end of the First World War. This region comprised a large part of the territory of what is now Tanzania.

This region used one of the British colonial flags that the empire used so much in its dominions. The one from the Territory of Tanganyika had the red insignia with the UK flag on the part near the mast, and a drawing of a giraffe was added to symbolize the country.

Flag of the Tanganyika Territory (1919 - 1961). Mysid

Flag of Tanganyika (1961 - 1964)

After the independence of the United Kingdom in 1961 by the Territory of Tanganyika, it was renamed simply Tanganyika. However, at first it was under the direct command of Queen Elizabeth II.

In any case, the country was managed as a sovereign state from this moment on, but Tanganyika still did not include all the current territory of what is now Tanzania. The other regions of Tanzania did not belong to British Tanganyika, and it was not until its unification in 1964 that the country's new flag was adopted.

However, it can be clearly seen that the current flag design of Tanzania is based on the first flag of Tanganyika. This is particularly denoted by the central black stripe surrounded by two small yellow stripes.

Flag of Tanganyika (1961 - 1964). By Mysid. Public domain.

Flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1896 - 1963)

The Sultanate of Zanzibar was the region that belonged to the Sultan of Zanzibar, which was initially quite large, but over the years it was losing territorial influence.

It came to have everything that is today Kenya, the Swahili coast and the Zanzibar archipelago, but European control was stripping the sultanate of many of its belongings until only having a part of Zanzibar in 1963.

It had to give up its territorial dominion in 1963, adopting a new flag by then. For more than half a century, a red flag was used to represent the entire domain of the sultan.

Flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1896 - 1963). Orange Tuesday - Own work. Public domain.

Second flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1963 - 1964)

This was the flag used by the Sultanate after the agreement reached in 1963 by which it ceded the sovereignty of its territory. This pact lasted only one year, as the sultan was stripped of his throne in 1964 to establish the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba.

Second flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1963 - 1964). Orange Tuesday - Own work Public domain.

Flag of the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba (1964)

After the fall of the Sultan, many of the regions of what is now Tanzania began to act as independent states. Zanzibar and Pemba were unified under the same flag in 1964, creating the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba.

A tricolor of blue, black and green was used, but the country existed for only a year, as it was soon unified with Tanganyika to give birth to today's Tanzania.

Flag of the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba (1964). By SuperManu. Public domain.

Flag of Tanzania (since 1964)

The current flag of Tanzania was adopted after the unification of all the provinces under the same banner. It was based on the design of the national flag of the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba in conjunction with the design of the first flag of Tanganyika.

Flag of Tanzania (1964 - Present). National flag, not subjected to copyright terms.

Meaning

The design of the flag of Tanzania is based on the social and cultural beliefs of the country. The green color that occupies the left and upper part represents all the vegetation of the country, including the rich agricultural resources of the entire Tanzanian region.

The color black represents the Swahili population, which is native to the country. Tanzania is a country rich in lakes and rivers, so the color blue was incorporated into the design to represent them. However, it also represents the Indian Ocean, which borders the nation.

The two yellow stripes that separate the central stripe of the flag were incorporated to represent the country's natural wealth.

References

1. Flag of Tanzania, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
2. Flag of Tanzania, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from Britannica.com
3. Flag of Tanzania, Flagpedia - Encyclopedia of Flags, (nd). Taken from flagpedia.net
4. Sultanate of Zanzibar, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
5. History of Tanzania, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
6. Flag of Tanzania Image and Meaning, Country Flags Website, (nd). Taken from countryflags.com