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Kingdom of Eswatini
Use	National flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	6 October 1968;
Design	A horizontal triband of blue (top and bottom) and the yellow-edged red (triple width) with the large black and white Nguni shield covering two spears and the staff decorated with the feather tassels called injobo (tassels-bunches of feathers of the widowbird and the lourie) all centered horizontally of the red band.
Designed by	King Sobhuza II
Use	National flag
Proportion	2:3
Use	National flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	2011

The flag of Eswatini was adopted on 6 October 1968^[1] after Eswatini (then known as Swaziland) gained independence from the British Empire one month before. The design by King Sobhuza II features a black and white shield, with a staff and two spears, on a field of blue, yellow, and red horizontal bands.

History

The flag is based on the military flag given by King Sobhuza II to the Swazi Pioneer Corps in 1941 to remind them of the nation's military traditions.^[2] On 25 April 1967, the day the pledge of oath was taken by the king, the flag was hoisted for the first time. The College of Arms in London registered the flag on 30 October 1967. The first official hoisting of the flag was conducted on this day.^[1]

Specifications

The flag is rectangular with length and breadth in a ratio of 3:2 respectively.^[1] The red stands for past battles, the blue for peace and stability, and the yellow for the resources of Eswatini.^[3]^[1] The central focus of the flag is a Nguni shield and two spears, symbolising protection from the country's enemies. Its colour is meant to show that white and black people live in peaceful coexistence in Eswatini.^[4]

The flag has five horizontal stripes — two blue stripes at the top and bottom while the center stripe is red, and two thin yellow stripes border the red stripe. On the red stripe is an ox hide combat shield from the traditional Swazi Emabutfo Regiment, laid horizontally. The shield is reinforced by a staff from which hangs injobo tassels — bunches of feathers of the widowbird and the lourie, which are only used by the king - and two assegais above it. In 2011, some versions of the flag began using black for the colour of the tassels to match the widowbirds’s natural colour.

The flag has a variant with lighter shades described by the government's visual identity manual and regularly used on the government's website and other social medias. Sometimes, a variant with black tassels, and white spears can also be seen during governmental press meetings and international affairs.

Other flags

Flag of Swaziland (c. 1890–1894)
Flag of Swaziland (1894–1902)
Royal standard of Eswatini
Queen Mother standard of Eswatini

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Swaziland". Flagpost. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
^ "Swaziland flag". World Flags. Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
^ "The Flag of Eswatini". flagdb.com. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
^ "Embassy of the Kingdom of Swaziland". Swaziland.org. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.