Antigua Flag

An island in the Caribbean, Antigua is part of the country of Barbuda and Antigua. Its population is approximately sixty-eight thousand people with over twenty-four thousand living in St. John’s, which is the capital of Antigua. The land area is 108 square miles and has a tropical marine climate with very little temperature variation. There are several excellent harbors in Antigua formed by the many arms and bays of the sea along its rocky, high coast. Considered a luxury Caribbean escape by many, Antigua’s economy is reliant upon the islands tourism which brings around five hundred thousand tourists to Antigua annually.

Antigua held a national flag design competition in 1966 because of attaining independence in connection with Great Britain. Out of the over six hundred entries, Mr. Reginald Samuel won five hundred dollars as first prize for the best design for the Antigua flag. He is an Antiguan painter, art teacher, sculptor and artist. Mr. Samuel only spent half an hour designing the Antiguan flag and then entered it just before the deadline, at the very last minute. The entry had to go to the Administration building so Mr. Samuel had to rush out to get an envelope but luckily managed to get his entry there on time. On February 27, 1967, they adopted the National Antigua and Barbuda flag.

They displayed the winning design along with the chosen slogan, coat-of-arms, and anthem, next to the post office outside the Administration building for the people or Barbuda and Antigua to see. They now exhibit the original board at the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda as part of the flags history.

They represented the dawn or beginning of a new era on the Antigua and Barbuda flag by a seven point golden sun. The red color stands for the activeness and energy of the people and the slave ancestor’s lifeblood. The blue on the flag of Antigua represents hope while the black on the Antigua Barbuda flag represents the African heritage and soil. The gold, blue and white on the Antigua and Barbuda flag represent the sun, sea, and sand of their tourist attractions. The red borders form a ‘V’ symbolizing ‘Victory at last’.

The national coast guards of Antigua and Barbuda are the only ones allowed to use the state ensign based on the image flag of Antigua and Barbuda. This flag consists of a white field or background, the state flag in the canton, and a red cross.