What nickname is given to the flag of Barbados?

The nickname given to the flag of Barbados is “The Broken Trident.”

The name refers to the black trident head displayed in the flag’s central gold band. The trident was adapted from the colonial badge of Barbados, where Neptune’s trident was associated with Britannia. In the national flag, the shaft is deliberately absent, giving the emblem its broken appearance.

Barbados adopted the flag on 30 November 1966, the day it became independent from the United Kingdom. Grantley W. Prescod designed it after a government competition that attracted more than 1,000 entries. The ultramarine bands represent the surrounding sea and sky, while the gold band represents the island’s sand.

A common mix-up is to call the whole flag “the Broken Trident.” Technically, the nickname points especially to the central trident emblem, although it is widely used as a nickname for the national flag itself. The trident’s three points also represent government of, for, and by the people.