Tanzania's national flag has a diagonal black stripe bordered by thin yellow or gold stripes.
The black band runs diagonally across the flag, separating a green upper triangle from a light-blue lower triangle. The gold-edged design was adopted on 30 June 1964, shortly after Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It combined elements from the two territories' earlier flags.
Green was retained from Tanganyika's flag and is associated with vegetation and agricultural resources. Blue came from Zanzibar's flag and represents the Indian Ocean, lakes, and rivers. Black traditionally represents the Swahili and African people, while the thin yellow or gold borders refer to Tanzania's mineral wealth.
The wording “yellow stripes” is accepted in many descriptions, although some sources call the colour gold. This is a colour-label difference, not a different flag. Tanzania is often confused with Kenya or Uganda because all use strong green, black, yellow, or red elements. The diagonal band is the key identifier: Kenya's flag has a horizontal arrangement with a Maasai shield, while Uganda's has horizontal stripes and a crane emblem.