The diagonal cross on Jamaica’s flag is called a saltire.
A saltire is an X-shaped heraldic charge, traditionally associated with the cross of Saint Andrew. Jamaica’s national flag places a gold saltire across the field, dividing it into four triangles: green at the top and bottom, and black at the hoist and fly sides.
The flag was adopted on 6 August 1962, the day Jamaica became independent from the United Kingdom. More than 360 designs were submitted in a competition, but a bipartisan committee created the final design after rejecting proposed horizontal stripes as too similar to Tanganyika’s flag.
A common mix-up is calling the design simply a “cross.” That description is understandable, and Jamaica’s flag is nicknamed “The Cross,” but saltire is the precise heraldic term for its diagonal X-shaped cross. The design is also often linked to Scotland’s saltire, reflecting historical ties between Jamaica and Scotland.