The sun on the flag of Antigua and Barbuda has seven points. The points represent Antigua’s six parishes together with the island of Barbuda, giving the design a direct link to the country’s internal geography.
The flag was adopted on 27 February 1967, when Antigua and Barbuda achieved self-government. Its design came from Sir Reginald Samuel, whose winning entry was selected from more than 600 submissions in a national competition.
The rising sun represents the dawn of a new era. The black, blue, white, and yellow areas symbolize African ancestry, hope, the Caribbean Sea, sand, and sunlight, while the red represents energy or life. The V-shape is a symbol of victory.
A common mistake is to count the sun’s rays as seven. The flag is often described as having a yellow half-sun with nine rays, while its seven points refer to the islands and parishes. Those are separate features of the design.