The Jamaica flag was adopted on independence day August 6, 1962. The Jamaica flag consists of a gold cross, which divides the flag into four sections: two green (top and bottom) and two black (left and right). The present design emerged from those sent in by the public in a national competition.

It was originally designed with horizontal stripes, but this was considered too similar to the Tanganyikan flag.The cross was used in place of the horizontal stripes to reflect Jamaica's Christian faith.

The black, green, and gold are Pan African and African National Congress (ANC) colors. Gold recalls the shining sun, black reflects hardships, and green represents the land ("Hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth"). Another explanation is that black stands for the people, yellow for the sun and green for the lush vegetation.