What is shown in the centre of Belize's flag?
A white disc contains the coat of arms, framed by a green wreath.
Flag of Belize
Belize's flag has a dark blue field with narrow red bands along the top and bottom.
Current flag
Flag emoji 🇧🇿
Belize
Flag facts
Flag design
The flag has 3 horizontal bands from top to bottom: red · blue · red.
- Layout
- Horizontal bands
- Number of bands
- 3
- Details
- Unequal-width bands
- Symbols
- Coat of arms – Centre
- Shapes
- Disc – Centre
- Colours
- Blue, red, and white
Belize’s coat of arms and mahogany history
Belize’s blue field has narrow red bands along the top and bottom, with a large white disc carrying the coat of arms. Two woodcutters flank a shield containing tools and a ship, with a mahogany tree above it.
The arms recall Belize’s forestry and trade history. The surrounding wreath has fifty leaves, a reference to 1950 and the early independence movement; the Latin motto Sub umbra floreo means “Under the shade I flourish.”
Design and official explanations
A white disc at the centre holds the national coat of arms, framed by a green wreath. The 2025 National Symbols Act specifies a 3:5 proportion and the emblem's details.
The coat of arms shows a mahogany tree above a shield with tools and a ship, supported by two woodcutters. A scroll bears the motto 'Sub Umbra Floreo' ('Under the Shade I Flourish'). The Act defines the design; it does not assign a separate official meaning to each flag colour.
Frequently asked questions
What does the coat of arms depict?
It includes a mahogany tree, a shield with tools and a ship, and two woodcutters.
What are the flag's proportions?
The National Symbols Act specifies a width-to-height proportion of 3:5.
Sources
Country facts
- Type
- Country
- Name
- Belize
- Continent
- North and Central America
- Capital
- Belmopan
- ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
- BZ
- ISO 3166-1 alpha-3
- BLZ
- ISO 3166-1 numeric
- 084
- Top-level domain
- .bz
- Area
- 22,966 km²
- Population
- 422,924 (2025)
- Currency
- BZD
- Calling code
- +501
Flags with a similar layout
These flags come from the same region and share one or more design characteristics.
Historical flags: Belize (1519–)
Images are ordered by the years listed in the collection. A listed year may not be the flag’s official adoption year.
About historical flags
Vexilla's historical flag collection includes former flags associated with present-day countries and territories, as well as flags of states, empires, and other authorities that historically governed them.
A flag's inclusion in a country's historical collection does not necessarily mean that the country was independent at the time or that the flag was its own national flag.
The years shown are based on historical records in the dataset and do not always indicate the date of official adoption. The collection is not exhaustive, and historical usage, territorial coverage, and interpretations may vary.
