What pattern forms the central design of the national flag of Jamaica?

A gold saltire forms the central design of Jamaica’s national flag.

A saltire is a diagonal cross extending from corner to corner. On Jamaica’s flag, the gold saltire divides the field 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 date Jamaica became independent from the United Kingdom.

The design is distinctive because it does not use the British Union Jack pattern found on many former British territories. Jamaica’s flag also has no red, white or blue, making it the only current national flag without any of those three colors.

The colors are commonly explained as sunlight and natural wealth for gold, the strength and creativity of the people for black, and hope and agricultural resources for green. The diagonal cross is sometimes incorrectly called a chevron.