^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Antigua and Barbuda

(~2:3)
image by Željko Heimer, 12 January 2004

Official Name: Antigua and Barbuda
Capital: St. John's
Location: Caribbean
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy (Queen Elizabeth II)
Flag adopted: 27 February 1967
Designer: Mr. Reginald Samuels
Coat of arms adopted: 16 February 1967
ISO Code: AG

The Flag
Meaning of Symbols and Colors
Details of the Flag

See also:

The Flag

Antigua and Barbuda's flag was designed by Mr. Reginald Samuels, an art teacher in an Antiguan high school, when Antigua gained "statehood" status (Self-governing) in 1967.
L. Jacobs II , 21 September 1998 and Ivan Sache , 31 January 2000

Acording to L'Album 2000 [pay00] the construction details are stripes in ratio 18:10:18, lenght 69~ [so total ratio 2:3~]. Is this based on some official data?
[smi80] have as civil ensign for Antigua and Barbuda to be the british red ensign, but here the national flag is indicated to be (among other uses) civil ensign too. Is that changed since 1980?
Željko Heimer, 5 January 2001

I visited Antigua in spring 1994 and I saw there a lot of national flags, both on land and at sea.
Ivan Sache, 6 January 2001

The flag is national flag and ensign (i.e. CSW/CSW). The flag was adopted, apparently only for the use on land in 1967, but the flag must have been introduced into maritime use since 1981 when Antigua and Barbuda aquired full independence. Until 1981 the undefaced red ensign was the civil ensign in Antigua and Barbuda. Was there any defaced blue ensign?
History of the status of AG could be quoted from rulers site <www.geocities.com/Athens/1058/rulers.html> (defunct) :

1632: British colony (Antigua).
1871-1 July 1956: part of the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands (Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Saint Christopher-Nevis- Anguilla, and, until 1940, Dominica).
3 January 1958-31 May 1962: part of the Federation of the West Indies.
27 Febuary 1967: associated state
1 November 1981: independence as Antigua and Barbuda

Željko Heimer, 12 January 2001

Example of gold on flags as opposed to yellow was given recently by the embassy of Antigua Barbuda in London, who sent a delivery of flags back to their manufacturer recently on the grounds that they (the manufacturers) had used yellow where the law stipulates a 'golden' sun.
Christopher Southworth, 28 March 2003

In corr. 3 (2003) of Album des Pavillons [pay03], I have presented AG Coast Guard Ensign, and consequently AG flag as CSW/C--.
Armand Noel du Payrat, 24 June 2003

Meaning of Symbols and Colors

The sun represents the dawning of a new era; red - the energy of the people; blue - hope; black, the African ancestry of the people. The combination of yellow, blue and white represent the sun, sand and sea.
James Dignan , 22 November 1995

Details of the Flag

image by Željko Heimer, 12 January 2004

The construction sheet is made according to the data given in l'Album 2000 [pay00]. Overall ratio 2:3~ is approximated as (18+10+18):69~. The sun symbol is half of a 16-pointed star with outer diameter 30 and inner 15 units. The colours provided are approxiamtive. The red is apparently the same as the red of the british ensigns (Pantone 186c). Blue is somehwat lighter then the standard British ensign blue (Pantone 300c) and yellow is aproximated with Pantone 116c.
Željko Heimer, 12 January 2001

Construction number 30 and 15 are my approximation, other figures from Album 2000. Chris' has different number but without official source: (39+22+39):150 with sun diameters 68 and 40.
Željko Heimer, 15 January 2004