Flag of Belize
The national flag of Belize is divided into three horizontal bars with two slim red-colored bars at the top & the bottom border, and a large royal blue-colored bar in the middle. A white disc enclosing the National Coat of Arms, which is encircled by fifty mahogany leaves, is placed in the central bar. The coat of arms features the following elements:
- The mahogany tree which indicates mahogany trade which was once the financial strength of the colony
- Two woodcutters, the one on the left holding an axe, and the one on the right holding a paddle
- A shield showing the tools of the mahogany trade including a paddle, squaring axe, beating axe, and saw
- A flowing scroll bearing the Latin motto "sub umbra floreo", meaning "under the shade I flourish", or/and implying "under the shade of the mahogany tree we flourish".
The colors on the flag are respectively those of the country's national parties, the People's United Party (PUP) and United Democratic Party (Belize) (UDP). Red bars denote the color of the opposition party. Blue is the party color of the PUP (People's United Party). The 50 leaves indicates 1950, the year PUP came to power. The flag of Belize was adopted on September 21, 1981 upon independence from the United Kingdom. The flag of Belize is exceptional in a way that it includes twelve colors, three more than on any other national flag. Also, it is the only national flag to have human beings portrayed on it, in the Coat of Arms.
