Which country first flew its current national flag on 27 April 1994?

South Africa first flew its current national flag on 27 April 1994. That date was the country’s first fully democratic general election and marked the beginning of the post-apartheid political era.

The flag replaced the former orange, white and blue design, which had been associated with white minority rule. Its new pattern uses a green Y-shaped band bordered in white and gold, with red above and blue below; black and gold appear near the hoist. The design was selected during a national transition process and was officially adopted in March 1994.

The colors do not have a single legally assigned symbolic meaning. They draw on several historical traditions in South Africa, including the African National Congress colors, the Pan-African colors and the former flag’s colors. The Y shape is commonly interpreted as representing the convergence of different paths into a shared future.

The flag is sometimes described as having six colors, although the exact visual count can vary depending on whether the borders and color groupings are counted separately. It is widely recognized for combining multiple political and historical traditions in one design.