flag of Suriname

The only Dutch colony on the mainland of the New World to survive into the 20th century, Suriname (formerly known as Dutch Guiana) has a unique ethnic and cultural mix that sets it off from its Latin American neighbours. The Suriname national flag is consequently different from those of surrounding countries, although it generally resembles other new flags of the Caribbean region. As an autonomous territory under Dutch rule, Suriname in 1959 hoisted a white flag that bore a black ellipse. That unusual flag also had five stars whose colours (white, black, brown, yellow, and red) suggested the ethnic groups of the territory (Europeans, Africans, East Indians, Chinese, and Amerindians).

The 1959 design was abandoned—in part because many felt that it emphasized ethnicity over national unity—when Suriname became independent on November 25, 1975. The new national flag, adopted just four days previously, had been developed in a national competition. It features green stripes for the country’s jungles and agricultural lands, white for justice and freedom, and red for the progressive spirit of a young nation. At the centre of the flag is a yellow star symbolic of the unity of the country, its golden future, and the spirit of sacrifice necessary on the part of citizens to achieve that goal.