Summary: 

The Belizean national flag was officially adopted on September 21, 1981, the day Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom (Britannica, 2024). Before this, the area was known as British Honduras and had a different flag as a British colony.

In the preparations to become a sovereign nation, Belize's founding fathers went through a democratic process to select the country's flag (Belizehub, 2025). Many designs were submitted, with some featuring geometric patterns and others filled with symbols representing Belize.

The final design selected was based on the unofficial national flag that had been flown by Belize's People's United Party (PUP) since the 1950s (Belize.com, 2024). This design featured the royal blue background with red stripes and was adapted to include the coat of arms in the center.

Belize became an independent country from the United Kingdom in 1981. Before this, our founding fathers used a democratic process to choose the national flag and other symbols (Editorial Team, 2024). 

In 1819 the colony then known as British Honduras obtained its coat of arms, subsequently modified. The design featured a mahogany tree, reference the rich sylvan resources of the area, as well as a shield and two supporters. In the original design the supporters were of African background, but now one is a mestizo, the other and Afro-Belizean. These men hold tools of the trade, which were an axe, and a paddle used to send trees downriver for export. The shield is divided into three sections, a paddle and a maul crossed on a white background, a two-handed saw and an axe crossed on dark yellow, and a ship sailing over waves on blue. The Latin motto “Sub umbra floreo” (“Under the shade I flourish”) is a reference to the area’s forests and its establishment as a colony under British protection (Editorial Team, 2024). 

As independence approached, the selection of a national flag became a important. The People's United Party (PUP) initially proposed a blue flag with the coat of arms in a white circle, but public opinion was divided due to its strong association with the party. The United Democratic Party (UDP), instead of proposing a specific design, advocated for a flag that would unite all citizens. This led to the formation of a bi-partisan National Symbols Committee, which launched a public competition for flag designs. The winning concept came from two public officers, Everal Waight and Inéz Sánchez. Building on the PUP's blue and white flag, they ingeniously incorporated two horizontal red stripes, each accounting for one-fifth of the flag's width—at the top and bottom to represent the UDP, ensuring bi-partisan acceptance. The white circle with the coat of arms remained centered (Editorial Team, 2024). 

The new flag was proudly hoisted at midnight on September 20, 1981, at Government House in Belize City, marking the moment of independence. Prime Minister George Price's proclamation underscored the flag as a symbol of national unity, sovereignty, and a commitment to the welfare and prosperity of the Belizean people. Following independence, Manolo Romero, Belize's Chief Information Officer, finalized the flag's design in 1986, working with Archaeological Commissioner Harriot Topsey to ensure the authentic representation of the Mestizo and Afro-Belizean figures on the coat of arms. Notably, the Belizean flag holds the unique distinction, as pointed out by Inéz Sánchez, of being the only national flag in the world to depict human beings (Editorial Team, 2024).