What do the two stars on the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag mean?

Hope and liberty. They sit on the black diagonal band, which stands for the country's African heritage.

Why are pan-African colors used in the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag?

Red, green, yellow, and black are the pan-African colors, chosen here to acknowledge where most of the population's ancestors came from and what they lived through.

The Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

The flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis has a black band edged in yellow running diagonally from the lower hoist corner to the upper fly corner, with two white five-pointed stars on the black. The triangle above the band is green and the one below it is red. Green stands for the fertile land, yellow for year-round sunshine, black for the African heritage of the people, and red for the struggle for freedom. The stars are hope and liberty.

The flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis was designed by a student. The government ran a national competition ahead of independence, Edrice Lewis won it, and the flag went up for the first time on September 19, 1983, the day the federation left British rule.

A competition and a deadline

The brief was to replace the British Blue Ensign that had flown over the islands through the colonial period with something that said what the new country thought of itself. Lewis's design has not been altered since.

Reading the design

A black band edged in yellow runs from the lower hoist corner to the upper fly corner, carrying two white five-pointed stars. The triangle above it is green, the triangle below it red.

Every color has an assigned meaning. Green is the fertile land and what grows on it, yellow the sunshine the islands get year round, black the African ancestry of most of the population, and red the struggle against slavery and colonial rule. The two stars are hope and liberty, and they also stand for the two islands.

Protocol

The flag flies at government buildings, official ceremonies, and national celebrations. Rules cover hoisting and folding, largely to keep it from being damaged, and it flies at half-mast during national mourning. Away from official occasions it appears at festivals and sporting events, and in local music, writing, and art.

Pan-African colors

Red, green, yellow, and black are the pan-African colors, and their use here points directly at where most Kittitians and Nevisians came from. Several other Caribbean flags reach for the same palette for the same reason, which makes the region's flags a fairly legible record of shared history.

References

Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis - National Symbols

Vexillology Association - Flags of the World

Historical Archives of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Publication on Caribbean Symbols and Flags

Common questions

What do the two stars on the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag mean?: Hope and liberty. They sit on the black diagonal band, which stands for the country's African heritage.
Why are pan-African colors used in the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag?: Red, green, yellow, and black are the pan-African colors, chosen here to acknowledge where most of the population's ancestors came from and what they lived through.