Barbados’s national flag features a black broken trident on a vertical gold panel.
The flag was adopted on 30 November 1966, the date Barbados became independent from the United Kingdom. It has ultramarine panels at the hoist and fly, separated by a central golden panel. A black trident head appears in the gold panel.
The trident is associated with Neptune, the sea god, and the sea surrounding Barbados. Its broken shaft symbolizes the break with Britain after independence. The three points are also linked to the principles of government of, for and by the people.
The blue colors represent the sea and sky, while the gold represents the sand of Barbados. The flag is sometimes confused with the Bahamas’ flag because both use blue, gold and black, but Barbados alone places a broken trident in its center.