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Tanganyika (1961 - 1964)

(Historical flag)

image by Vincent Morley, 08 Dec 1996

Self-government and independence
May-December 1961 Tanganyika flag?
Merger with Zanzibar

See also:

Self-government and independence (01 May 1961 - circa 30 June 1964)

Tanganyika gained self-government from Britain (technically under a League of Nations Trustee mandate) on 01 May 1961 and became independent on 09 December 1961. The flag of Tanganyika was based on that of the ruling Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), which was a horizontal tricolour of green-black-red. The flag was modified in 1964 when Tanganyika merged with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
Stuart Notholt, 29 Jun 1996

In section of new flags in the Flag Bulletin 01 is the new flag of Tanganyika:
09 December 1961 Tanganyika will become independent. Details of the new national flag were released by its information service on 08 July 1961. The design consist of three horizontal stripes of alternate bright green, black and bright green, all of equal width and length. This combination has been used for a long time by the country's chief political party TANU whose leader Julius Nyerere became the new prime minister. Added to the party flag are two smaller stripe of gold (i.e. yellow) probably in order to make the flag conform to heraldic rules, whereby a colour must not touch colour. Each of these stripes is to be 1/16 of the flag width. Green represents land, black is for the people, and gold represents the country's mineral resources. Official sizes are 6' x 4' and 8' x 12'. The new design replaces the Tanganyika ensign with the badge showing the giraffe head.
Jaume Ollé, 17 Apr 2001

May-December 1961 Tanganyika flag?

image by Mikhail Revnivtsev, 4 Apr 2004

In the French vexillological bulletin Vexillologia, N 1/2 Tome II, 1969, p.47, edited by Georges Pash, it states that the first flag of Tanganyika accepted in 1961 has consisted of three horizontal stripes: green, white and orange. The green - black flag was accepted several months later.

In the book " United Republic of Tanzania ", Moscow, 1980, (in Russian), it states:
In October, 1960 to Tanganyika it has been given internal self-government, in the council of Ministers, headed by the British Governor, have been included 4 Europeans, 7 Africans and 1 representative of the Asian minority. The constitutional conference took place in March, 1961 in the capital, Dar es Salaam.
According to its decisions on 01 May 1961 Tanganyika has received a full autonomy (Legislative Council has been renamed into National Assembly, and Council of Ministers - in the Cabinet). Declaration of independence of Tanganyika took place on 09 Dec 1961.
Apart from the TANU there were several other political movements: African National Congress (ANC), National Convention
Party (NCP), National Initiative Party (NIP) and others.
Within one year, on 09 Dec 1962, the country has been proclaimed a republic.
The one-party system TANU was established only in March, 1963.

Could this green - white - orange flag be a temporary flag from 1 May till 9 Dec 1961?
Possibly this non-party flag has been designed to symbolize Africans (green), Europeans (white) and Asians (orange)?
Mikhail Revnivtsev, 04 Apr 2004

Pasch reported this flag for Tanganyika. But later some reports seems to indicate that the flag was in fact a confusion, and was not hoisted as national flag, but as flag of the Indian community.
Jaume Ollé, 05 Apr 2004

In Guide to the Flags of the World, by Mauro Talocci, 1977 (reprint 1986) [tal77] I found:
"The flag of Tanganyika consisted of two green bands with a black one in between. When Tanganyika became independent in 1961, two thin yellow stripes were added to symbolize the mineral resources of the country".
The TANU flag may have been the Tanganyika flag between 01 May and 09 Dec 1961.
Jarig Bakker, 05 Apr 2004

Merger with Zanzibar

On 26 April 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form a new republic, the name ’Tanzania’ being adopted on 29 October 1964. Like the name of the country, the new flag adopted was a merger of that of its constituent parts. The lower green stripe of the Tanganyika flag took the blue of the Zanzibar flag, and the stripes were re-arranged diagonally to give them equal status.
Stuart Notholt, 29 Jun 1996