Flag of Tanzania

What the flag looks like

A black diagonal band edged in yellow runs from the lower hoist to the upper fly, with a green triangle in the upper hoist and a blue triangle in the lower fly.

What it means

Green represents the land, yellow the mineral wealth, black the people and blue the Indian Ocean and lakes.

How to remember it

Tanzania merges Tanganyika's green and Zanzibar's blue across a yellow-edged black diagonal, with no star or sun.

Fun facts

• The flag and the name combine Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which united in 1964.
• Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 m, is the highest mountain in Africa.

Tanzania at a glance

Capital

Dodoma

Region

Eastern Africa

Population

69 million

Area

945,087 km²

Languages

English, Swahili

Currency

Tanzanian shilling (TSh)

Flag adopted

1964

Flags often confused with Tanzania

• Namibia: Namibia and Tanzania both have a diagonal band from lower hoist to upper fly. Namibia's band is red with white edges, with blue above holding a sun; Tanzania's is black with yellow edges, with green above.
• DR Congo: DR Congo and Tanzania both have a yellow-edged diagonal band from bottom-left to top-right. DR Congo's band is red on sky blue with a star; Tanzania's is black, between green and blue triangles.
• Solomon Islands: Solomon Islands and Tanzania both have a diagonal from lower hoist to upper fly with blue and green. Solomon Islands has blue above, a thin yellow stripe and white stars; Tanzania has green above and a wide black band.
• Republic of the Congo: The Republic of the Congo and Tanzania both have a green upper triangle and a diagonal band. Congo's band is plain yellow with red below; Tanzania's band is black edged in yellow, with blue below.
• Saint Kitts and Nevis: Saint Kitts and Nevis and Tanzania both have a yellow-edged black diagonal band with green above it. Saint Kitts has red below and two white stars on the band; Tanzania has blue below and no stars.