Bermuda Flags

Flag of Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory, but it still has its own Bermuda flag that represents it on the world stage. The flag of Bermuda stands out from many others used by British colonies because it lacks the solid blue flag that most others have, but it still manages to follow the traditional pattern for colonial flags.

• Capital of Bermuda: Hamilton
• Area of Bermuda: 53.3 sq. km
• Languages used in Bermuda: English (official), Portuguese
• Religions in Bermuda: Anglican, Roman Catholic, African Methodist, Episcopal, other Protestant

Colors and Symbolism of the Bermuda Flag

The flag of Bermuda represents Bermuda's political ties to Britain as well as its unique colonial heritage. The flag is a British red ensign with the Union Jack displayed in the canton and the Bermudan coat of arms in the fly. The color red and the Union Jack are both traditional symbols of the British Empire, so their use on the Bermuda flag proudly represents the nation's history as a British colony as well as its current status as a British territory.

The coat of arms is a reputation of Bermuda's history. The coat of arms depicts a red lion supporting a shield that displays a wrecked ship. The red lion represents Britain, which supported the colony in its early days just as it supports the shield. The wrecked ship is a reference to the colony's founding. Bermuda was founded after a captain named George Somers who worked for the the British Virginia Company deliberately wrecked his ship on a reef near Bermuda in order to prevent it from sinking in a storm. Every person on the ship survived, and those survivors laid the foundations for the colony that would eventually develop into modern Bermuda. That event also provided the Latin motto that is displayed in the coat of arms, Quo Fata Ferunt, which means "Whither the Fates Carry Us."

History of the Bermuda Flag

Bermuda has only had one flag of its own, although the design has changed very slightly since it was first adopted. It adopted the first form of the modern flag in 1910. The 1910 design differs from the modern design only in that the coat of arms is smaller in the 1910 flag. The current form of the flag of Bermuda was adopted in 1999, and it has not been changed since then.