Saint Martin (island)

Saint Martin is a divided island in the Caribbean. Its northern half is the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, and its southern half is Sint Maarten, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
On August 31, 1990, the "Unity Flag" of Saint Martin was adopted at the Preliminary Conference on National Symbols at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, in Sint Maarten. It was created to represent the people of both halves of the island and the unification of the latter, and is hoisted today on some houses and sometimes by churches and religious groups in Saint Martin. In August 2020, when restrictions and controls were added to the Saint Martin–Sint Maarten border to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, some protesters against these measures flew this flag with them. In September 2020, these restrictions were lifted, and people from both sides of the island started chanting "One island, one people, one destiny".
== Design ==
The flag has five unequal bands of yellow, light blue, red, medium blue, and green, with a black emblem in the top left inside the yellow band.
=== Symbolism ===
The yellow represents energy and the resilience of the people, the light blue represents the sky and the potential of the people, the red represents the blood of the people past, present, and future, the medium blue represents the sea, strength, and resourcefulness, the green represents the fertility of the island, and the black emblem represents the spiritual perfection within, and striving for harmony of humanity and nature.
== Emblem ==
The emblem features a brown pelican above the Frontier Monument, with two five-pointed stars (unity stars) between the monument, and Saint Martin's rock walls (piled like a salt heap) below the monument. On the left side are Sandbox Tree fruit and leaves, and on the right side are Tamarind tree fruit and leaves. Below is an aloe plant and the sword of St. Martin of Tours.
Category:France
Category:Netherlands
Category:Caribbean
Category:Islands
Category:Yellow
Category:Blue
Category:Red
Category:Green
Category:Black
Category:Emblems
Category:Five-pointed stars
Category:Stars
Category:Birds
Category:Swords