Flag of Jamaica - Wikipedia Flag of Jamaica This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. ( May 2017 ) Jamaica Names The Cross, Black, green, and gold Use National flag and civil ensign Proportion 1 : 2 Adopted 6 August 1962 Design A gold diagonal cross divides the field into four triangles of green ( top and bottom ) and black ( hoist side and fly side ) Variant flag of Jamaica Use Naval ensign Design A White Ensign with the national flag in the canton The first proposed design for the Jamaican flag Another proposal for the Jamaican flag The flag of Jamaica was adopted on 6 August 1962, the original Jamaican Independence Day, the country having gained independence from the British - protected Federation of the West Indies. The flag consists of a gold saltire, which divides the flag into four sections : two of them green ( top and bottom ) and two black ( hoist and fly ). It is the only current national flag in the world that does not feature any of the colours red, white, or blue. Contents 1 Design and symbolism 2 Etiquette 3 Historical flags 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Design and symbolism The present design emerged from those sent in by the public in a national competition. It was originally designed with horizontal stripes, but this was considered too similar to the flag of Tanganyika ( as it was in 1962, only the yellow stripes are thinner ), and so the saltire was substituted. An earlier interpretation of the colours was, `` hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth '' as stated in the government Ministry Paper 28 - National Flag dated 22 May 1962. Gold recalls the shining sun, black reflects hardships, and green represents the land. It was changed in 1996 to black representing the strength and creativity of the people which has allowed them to overcome the odds, yellow for the wealth of the country and the golden sunshine, and green for the lush vegetation of the island. The change was made on the recommendation of The Committee to Examine National Symbols and National Observances appointed by the then Prime Minister the Hon P.J. Patterson and chaired by the Hon. Prof. Milton `` Rex '' Nettleford. The flag is blazoned : Per saltire vert and sable, a saltire Or. Etiquette Standard etiquette applies in Jamaica to use of the national flag, primarily ensuring it is always the primary flag flown and is in good condition. The National Flag Code ( a set of rules that owners of a flag should follow ) was instituted by the government. Jamaica 's state ensign is a Blue Ensign with the Jamaican national flag in the canton ; it is normally only used by the Jamaican Government. Jamaica 's naval ensign is a White Ensign with a Saint George 's Cross and the Jamaican national flag in the canton, although due to the island 's lack of a navy, it is normally only used by the Jamaican Coast Guard. It mimics the naval ensigns of other Commonwealth countries such as Bahamas, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago. Historical flags 1875 -- 1906 1906 -- 1957 1957 -- 1962 1962 See also List of Jamaican flags Jamaica coalition ( politics ) References Jump up ^ Jamaican Flag on JIS site External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Jamaica. Jamaican Flag on Jamaican government site Jamaica at Flags of the World http://www.flagscorner.com/jamaica-flag/ Jamaica articles History Arawaks Taínos Atlantic slave trade British conquest Governors Port Royal Piracy Maroons 1692 earthquake First Maroon War Tacky 's War Second Maroon War Baptist War Morant Bay rebellion 1907 earthquake British West Indies West Indies Federation Hurricane Charley Hurricane Ivan Geography Cities Fauna Flora Islands Parishes Rivers Water resources Politics Cabinet Constitution Elections Foreign relations Governor - General Judiciary Law enforcement LGBT rights Military Monarchy Parliament Political parties Prime Minister Attorney general Chief Justice Economy Central bank Dollar ( currency ) Free trade zones Stock exchange Telecommunications Transport Society Crime Demographics Education Ethnic groups Languages Religion Water supply and sanitation Culture Anthem Cinema Coat of arms Cuisine Flag Heritage sites Literature Music Newspapers Public holidays Sports Television Outline Index Portal Flags of North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Navassa Island Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands National flags and coats of arms National flags Sovereign states Dependent territories Timeline National coats of arms Sovereign states Dependent territories Heraldry portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Jamaica&oldid=800907375 '' Categories : Flags of Jamaica National flags National symbols of Jamaica Saltire flags Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from May 2017 All articles needing additional references Use Jamaican English from February 2017 All Wikipedia articles written in Jamaican English Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Afrikaans Azərbaycanca Беларуская Български Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego ગુજરાતી 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Patois Polski Português Русский Shqip Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Yorùbá 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 16 September 2017, at 13 : 00. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what does the color of jamaican flag mean
Answer: black representing the strength and creativity of the people which has allowed them to overcome the odds