Suriname

The national flag of Suriname was adopted on 25 November 1975, the day the country became independent from the Netherlands. The design was created after a nationwide competition and is credited to Jack Pinas. Its colors are associated with fertile land and hope, freedom, justice and peace, and progress, love, and the spirit of a young nation, while the gold star represents unity, sacrifice, and a bright future. An earlier 1959 flag used five colored stars on a black ellipse to represent major ethnic communities, but that design was later replaced.