The flag of South Africa has six colors: black, yellow, green, white, blue, and red. It features two horizontal bands of equal width with a green upper band and a white lower band. The white band contains a representation of a green and gold-colored “Y” shaped symbol, which divides into three sections. The sections represent the country’s different racial groups: black, colored (mixed race), and white. The flag was adopted in 1994 after the end of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as the country’s first black president. The colors are said to symbolize various aspects of South Africa, such as the green for the country’s natural beauty and agriculture, the yellow for the country’s mineral wealth, the red for the bloodshed in the country’s history, and the blue for the surrounding ocean.