The Secret History Behind Zimbabwe's Flag
Zimbabwe's flag carries a bird that was carved in stone centuries ago.
The flag was adopted on April 18, 1980, the day of independence. It has seven horizontal stripes of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow and green, and a white triangle edged in black on the hoist side. In the triangle there is a red five-pointed star, and on the star sits the Zimbabwe Bird.
The bird is a soapstone figure found at the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the stone city that gave the country its name. Green stands for agriculture and the land, yellow for mineral wealth, red for the blood shed in the struggle for liberation, and black for the heritage of the Black majority. The star officially stands for the nation's aspirations.
The date printed on every Zimbabwe design in our catalog, April 18, 1980, is Independence Day.
Seven stripes and a bird from the ruins.
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