Flag of South Sudan

9 July 2015
Flag Facts
1 min read
South Sudan Flag – a horizontal tricolour of black, red, and green, fimbriated with white stripes; with a sky-blue equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bearing a yellow star

South Sudan adopted its flag on 9 July 2005 and gained its independence from the Republic of Sudan on 9 July 2011.

The flag of South Sudan is identical to the flag of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

In construction and colours it is also similar to two other flags: Sudan and neighbouring Kenya.

Black, red and green – the pan-African colours – represent South Sudan’s people, the blood of its martyrs, and its agricultural resources.

The white, as usual, symbolises peace after many years of war.

A blue chevron at the hoist represents the White Nile, which runs through South Sudan.

On the chevron is an angled five-pointed yellow star representing South Sudan’s ten constituent states.

Bonus fact: South Sudan and South Africa are the only national flags to feature six colours in their primary design.

Alex Crouch, Flag Institute accredited journalist, 2015/16. Flag Institute, March 2026.