Belize’s national flag incorporates 19 different colors and shades.
That unusually high count comes largely from the detailed coat of arms placed inside the flag’s central white disk. Along with the blue, red, and white field, the design includes colors used for the two human figures, the mahogany tree, tools, foliage, wreath, scroll, and other heraldic details.
Belize adopted the flag on 21 September 1981, the day it became independent. Its design developed from an unofficial flag used from 1950, which featured the coat of arms on a blue field. Red stripes were added during the independence period to make the flag more representative of both major political parties: blue was associated with the People’s United Party, while red represented the United Democratic Party.
The figure of 19 describes the flag’s colors and shades, not 19 separate symbols or stripes. The flag is also notable because its coat of arms prominently depicts two people, making Belize’s flag one of the world’s most visually detailed national flags. Later standardization clarified details such as proportions, colors, and shading.