Jamaica’s flag is the only sovereign national flag without red, white, or blue.
Its design uses only black, green, and gold: a gold diagonal cross divides the flag into four triangles, with green at the top and bottom and black at the hoist and fly. The combination is often summarized by Jamaica’s nickname, “Black, Green, and Gold,” or “The Cross.”
The flag was adopted on 6 August 1962, the day Jamaica became independent from the United Kingdom. More than 360 designs were submitted during the independence-era competition, but no entry won outright; a bipartisan parliamentary committee developed the final design. The diagonal cross is also widely associated with Scotland’s Saltire.
The wording “only sovereign national flag” matters. Some territories, historical flags, and government ensigns may use different color combinations, and Jamaica’s state and naval ensigns incorporate British-style designs. The claim concerns the ordinary national flag of a sovereign country, not every flag connected with that country.