The sun on Rwanda’s national flag has 24 rays.
The sun is a yellow disk in the upper-right corner of the flag’s blue field. Its rays spread outward in a geometric pattern and symbolize enlightenment. The blue field represents happiness and peace, while the lower yellow and green bands symbolize economic development and hope for prosperity.
Rwanda adopted its current flag on October 25, 2001. It replaced the earlier flag, whose design included the colors red, yellow and green along with a large black letter R. The change was intended to create a visual break with the symbolism associated with the 1994 genocide.
The sun’s location is also distinctive: it is placed toward the fly side rather than at the center. The 24-ray detail is easy to confuse with other national flags whose suns have 16 or 32 rays.