The striking flag of this former British colony was designed, as were the flags of so many new and emergent nations, to reflect the country’s physical attributes and the qualities of its people. The flag has two triangles pointing out from the hoist – a smaller red one and a larger gold one spanning the fly, fimbriated in black and white respectively – on a green field. The red is said to represent the energy of the people in the building of the new country, while the gold symbolises the mineral wealth and the country’s forward thrust, maintained by perseverance (black). The white fimbriation symbolises the country’s rivers, and the green field its agriculture and forests. The flag was adopted in 1966, the same year as Guyana achieved its independence.