Flag Record

Record / BS-NAT-1973

The Bahamas

National flag / aquamarine, gold and black

NationalCaribbeanCurrent / 1973–presentDocumented
The Bahamas’ equal aquamarine, gold and aquamarine horizontal bands with a black equilateral triangle spanning the hoist and pointing toward the fly
Public-domain SVG / 1:2 reference / equilateral-triangle rendering
Quick answer

The Bahamas’ national flag combines aquamarine bands above and below a gold band with a black triangle at the hoist. It came into national use at independence on 10 July 1973. The specimen follows the equilateral-triangle description and the reference proportion of 1:2. [3] [4] [5]

Specification

The Flags and Coat of Arms (Regulation) Act, Chapter 32, defines the National Flag through Part I of its Schedule. Its heraldic description is “Azure a Fess Or issuing from the dexter a Pile Sable.” In ordinary terms, this describes a blue field, a gold horizontal band and a black triangular device issuing from the hoist. The Act does not supply a numerical ratio, construction grid or modern color-system values. [1]

The 2024 independence booklet describes three equal horizontal stripes, aquamarine, gold and aquamarine, overlaid by a black equilateral triangle against the mast. This official explanatory description provides more geometric detail than the statutory blazon. [4]

Reference / hoist : fly1 : 2
Horizontal bandsThree equal heights
Hoist deviceBlack triangle
Added emblemNone

Colors

The embassy uses the names black, gold and aquamarine. [2] FOTW reports government color guidance of PMS 3145, PMS 123 and Standard Black, linked to a government permission form and a reported 2006 standardization. That form could not be retrieved here. Earlier reference publications use PMS 312 and 115; these are not treated as equivalent standards. [5]

The following fills were read directly from the SVG. They are screen approximations, not official HEX specifications, certified Pantone conversions or textile production instructions. [6]

Aquamarine#00778B / specimen screen value
Gold#FFC72C / specimen screen value
Black#000000 / specimen screen value

Construction notes

The SVG has a 0 0 6 3 viewBox. Aquamarine fills the rectangle; the gold band extends from y=1 to y=2. The triangle joins (0, 0), (0, 3) and (2.59808, 1.5). Its tip is centered vertically, and its sloping sides equal the three-unit hoist to rounding precision. The exact depth for an equilateral triangle of height H along the hoist is H × √3 / 2; here that is approximately 2.598076. These coordinates are inspected artwork and a geometric deduction, not a statutory grid. [6]

Competing triangle depths. FOTW records a corrected Album construction and reports that Flying the Pride instead places the tip at 40% of the fly. An equilateral triangle on a 1:2 flag reaches approximately 43.3%. The specimen follows the booklet’s explicit equilateral description; the shorter diagram is not substituted silently. A definitive government production drawing resolving the difference was not verified. [5] [4]

Symbols and usage

The embassy associates black with the strength of a united people. The forward-pointing triangle expresses enterprise and determination to develop the country’s resources; gold and aquamarine refer to sun and sea. [2]

The national flag is used in public ceremonies, including independence commemorations. [3] Sections 3 and 4 of the Act address disrespectful treatment and specified commercial uses, with written ministerial permission required in the circumstances set out there. Copyright status does not override these provisions. [1] Separate maritime ensigns have distinct designs and uses; this record’s national specimen is not their production pattern. [5]

Historical record

The Act received assent on 4 July 1973 and commenced on 10 July 1973. The latter is the legal start date recorded here, rather than a separate proclamation date. [1] The embassy’s independence account describes the raising of the new aquamarine, gold and black flag at Clifford Park on 10 July 1973. [3]

The 2024 national-symbols booklet continues to describe the same arrangement. [4] The reported 2006 color standardization concerns color guidance; no separately verified replacement-design date or exact standardization day is assigned. [5]

Source trail

  1. Bahamian legislation: Flags and Coat of Arms (Regulation) Act, Chapter 32 ↗ — assent, commencement, sections 2–4 and Schedule Part I; PDF pages 3, 4 and 6.
  2. Embassy of The Bahamas: National Symbols ↗ — national identity, color names and symbolism.
  3. Embassy: 42nd independence anniversary celebrations ↗ — 1973 flag raising and later ceremonial use.
  4. 51st Independence Booklet, 2024: National Symbols ↗ — equal stripes and equilateral triangle. The indexed flag-section text was consulted; the full PDF exceeded the retrieval size limit.
  5. Flags of the World: Bahamas ↗ — 1:2 proportion, contributor reports of construction differences, physical color guidance and separate ensigns. The cited government permission form and protocol book were not independently retrieved.
  6. Retrieved SVG: country-flags ↗; Commons contributors and rights ↗; local asset register →.

Sources checked 15 September 2026. Related records: Jamaica and Guyana. Browse national flags or the Flag Index.