Flag of Rhodesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Flag of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) changed twice as a result of political changes in the country.
Prior to 1964, the then Southern Rhodesia followed British colonial practice, by using a Blue Ensign with the Union Jack in the canton and the shield from the colony's coat of arms in the fly.
After the break-up of the Central African Federation, and the independence of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland as Zambia and Malawi, the country became known simply as Rhodesia. The flag was changed to a lighter shade of blue, which was later adopted by Fiji and Tuvalu.
Following the Unilateral Declaration of Independence on November 11, 1965, the flag was retained, but three years later it was replaced by a green and white flag (similar to that of Nigeria) with the full coat of arms in the centre. On March 2, 1970, the country was declared a republic.
In 1979, the country became known as Zimbabwe Rhodesia and a new design was adopted later that year, featuring the pan-African colours of red, black, yellow and green, and the Zimbabwe Bird. However, under the terms of the Lancaster House Agreement, the country briefly returned to British rule, and it was the Union Jack that was lowered during the independence ceremony on April 18, 1980.
