Tanzania

Specification

The National Emblems Act, Chapter 10, revised edition 2023, First Schedule, describes a rectangle divided diagonally between the lower-left and upper-right corners. Green occupies the upper portion and blue the lower; equal golden borders, each narrower than the black center, separate them. The accompanying diagram contains no numerical dimensions. [1]

The numerical construction above follows the Album des pavillons account reported by Flags of the World. Its transcription of a government information booklet calls the reference dimension “fly,” but the accompanying 6-foot by 4-foot example uses 48 inches, the hoist. The reference’s explicit construction summary uses hoist; this specimen follows that reading. These figures are not presented as statutory measurements. [3]

Specimen colors

These are the inspected SVG’s screen fills, not physical color standards or certified conversions. The legal schedule names colors without HEX, RGB, Pantone, RAL, or textile tolerances. [1] [4]

Flags of the World reports older British Standard references and differing later Pantone recommendations. No current physical production standard was independently obtained; this entry therefore selects no definitive physical color code. [3]

Construction notes

The vector has viewBox 0 0 72 48. Two triangular paths form the field. A 19-unit yellow stroke and a 13-unit black stroke share the line from (0, 48) to (72, 0), leaving (19 − 13) / 2 = 3 units of yellow on each side. Widths are perpendicular to the diagonal, not vertical distances. A rectangular clip trims both strokes at the field edges. This matches the cited reference construction and the law’s arrangement; it is not a government manufacturing master. Paths and fills are preserved from the source vector. [4]

Historical record

The flag combines colors from the constituent flags following the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. [3] The Embassy in Rome dates adoption to 30 June 1964. [2] Section 3 of the Act gives the design effect from 26 April 1964; the consolidation’s note dates the flag legislation’s commencement to 7 May 1971. These are distinct legal and historical dates. The original 1964 proclamation and first-hoisting day were not independently verified. [1]

Symbolism

The Embassy associates green with fertile land, yellow with mineral deposits, blue with Tanzania’s waters including the Indian Ocean, and black with its people. These are government-published interpretations. No individual designer attribution is asserted here. [2]

Usage

This record represents the current national flag of the United Republic; the constituent territories’ former flags are distinct historical designs. [3] Section 6 regulates commercial and other uses and provides for ministerial exemptions. Public-domain artwork rights do not replace those rules. [1]

Source trail

1. Office of the Attorney General: National Emblems Act, Cap. 10 R.E. 2023 ↗ — printed pages 308–311: commencement note, sections 2–6, and First Schedule.
2. Embassy of Tanzania in Rome: National Symbols ↗ — current identity, design, adoption date, and symbolism.
3. Flags of the World: Tanzania ↗ — Album construction, government booklet transcription, historical context, and differing color references.
4. Retrieved SVG source ↗; repository provenance ↗; Commons rights and contributor history ↗; local specimen provenance ↗.

Sources checked 13 September 2026. Related records: Kenya and Ghana. Browse national flags or the Flag Index.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this record give both 26 April and 30 June 1964?

The dates describe different things. Section 3 of the National Emblems Act gives the flag design retrospective legal effect from 26 April 1964. The Embassy of Tanzania in Rome reports 30 June 1964 as the adoption date. The record retains both dates with those qualifications. The original 1964 proclamation and the first-hoisting day were not independently verified.

What does 7 May 1971 refer to?

The commencement note in the National Emblems Act consolidation gives 7 May 1971 as the flag legislation’s commencement date. This is separate from the design’s retrospective legal effect from 26 April 1964 and the Embassy in Rome’s reported adoption date of 30 June 1964.