Which object is depicted as the central emblem on Barbados’s national flag?

Barbados’s national flag displays a broken trident as its central emblem.

The trident is the symbol of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, and reflects Barbados’s maritime location and history. Its broken shaft represents the island’s separation from Britain after independence in 1966.

The emblem is placed on a gold vertical band between two ultramarine panels. The ultramarine represents the sea and sky, while the gold represents the sand of Barbados’s beaches.

The trident is sometimes mistakenly described as a spear or anchor, but the official design specifically uses a broken trident. Barbados adopted the flag on 30 November 1966, its independence day.