Jamaica flag 10 x 15 cm

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (145 mi) in length and as much as 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 190 kilometres (120 mi) west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated. Its indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taíno inhabitants named the island Xaymaca, meaning the "Land of Wood and Water", or the "Land of Springs". Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British Crown colony of Jamaica. It is the third most populous anglophone country in North America, after the United States and Canada. It remains a Commonwealth realm.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica

The flag of Jamaica was adopted on August 6, 1962 which was the original Jamaican Independence Day, the country having gained independence from the British-protected Federation of the West Indies. The flag consists of a gold saltire, which divides the flag into four sections: two of them green (top and bottom) and two black (hoist side and outer side).

The present design emerged from those sent in by the public in a national competition. It was originally designed with horizontal stripes, but this was considered too similar to the Tanganyikan flag, and so the saltire was substituted. Some people claim this decision was also made to reflect the island's Christian nature. Black, green, and gold are Pan-African colors. They are also linked to the African National Congress (ANC). One explanation of the colors is "Hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth": gold recalls the shining sun, black reflects hardships, and green represents the land. Another theory is that black stands for the people, yellow for the Sun and Green for the lush vegetation of the island. The flag is blazoned per saltire vert, sable, of the second, and of the first, a saltire Or.

Standard etiquette applies in Jamaica to use of the national flag, primarily ensuring it is always the primary flag flown and is in good condition. Jamaica's naval jack is a White Ensign with a Saint George's Cross and the national flag in the canton, although due to the island's lack of any sizable permament navy, it is normally only used by the coastguard. It mimics the naval jacks of many other Commonwealth countries.

After the inconclusive German election of 2005, the flag of Jamaica was used frequently in the German media to illustrate one of several possible governing coalitions: the "Jamaica coalition" of CDU/CSU (conservative, black), FDP (liberal, yellow) and the German Greens. This coalition never materialized.

The logo for Illa State Records is the Union Jack in the colours of the Jamaican flag.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Jamaica