National flag
Commonwealth of Dominica
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Use
| Civil
and
state flag
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Proportion
| 1:2
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Adopted
| 3 November 1978
(last modified 3 November 1990)
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Design
| A green field with the centred cross of three bands: the vertical part is: yellow, black and white and the horizontal part is: yellow, black and white and the red disk superimposed at the centre of the cross bearing a purple Sisserou Parrot facing the hoist-side encircled by ten green five-pointed stars.
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Designed by
| Alwin Bully
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Use
| Presidential Standard
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Design
| A green field with the
coat of arms of Dominica
at the centre
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The
flag of
Dominica
was adopted on 3 November 1978, with some small changes having been made in 1981, 1988, and 1990. The original flag was designed by playwright
Alwin Bully
in early 1978 as the country prepared for independence.
[1]
It is one of the few
flags of sovereign states to contain purple
.
History and design
[
edit
]
The flag, adopted in 1978, features the
national bird emblem
, the
sisserou parrot
(
Amazona imperialis
), which also appears on the
coat of arms of Dominica
as two
supporters
in the
achievement
, granted on 21 July 1961. This parrot, endemic to Dominica, is an endangered species with a population of only 250?350 individuals.
[2]
The green field represents the lush vegetation of the island. The cross represents the
Trinity
and
Christianity
, with its three colours symbolising the natives, the fertile soil, and the pure water. The 10 green five-pointed stars stand for the country's 10
parishes
: (
St Andrew
,
St David
,
St George
,
St John
,
St Joseph
,
St Luke
,
St Mark
,
St Patrick
,
St Paul
, and
St Peter
), while the red disc stands for justice.
The sisserou parrot is sometimes coloured either blue or purple (the parrot's actual colour). The use of
purple
makes the flag of Dominica one of the few
flags of sovereign states to contain the colour
.
The flag of Dominica, along with other national symbols, was the focus of a government-sponsored "Emblems Week" in 2016. An initiative of the independence committee, Emblems Week is aimed at reflecting on the meaning of the national emblems, and promoting their use among members of the general public and particularly among the country's schools.
[3]
Historical designs
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Sovereign states
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Dependencies and
other territories
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National flags
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National coats of arms
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