The current national flag of Lesotho, adopted on October 4, 2006, features a horizontal blue, white, and green tricolour with a black mokorotlo (a Basotho hat) in the center. The design, introduced to honour the 40th anniversary of independence, is reportedly intended to reflect a peaceful orientation for the country.
The first flag of Lesotho was introduced on October 4, 1966, the day of Lesotho’s full independence from the United Kingdom. It featured a prominent white mokorotlo. The blue stood for sky and rain, the white for peace, the green for land, and the red for faith.
A new flag, designed by Sergeant Retšelisitsoe Matete, was adopted on January 20, 1987, following a military coup which ousted the Basotho National Party after 20 years in power. A light brown traditional Basotho shield along with an assegai (lance) and knobkierie (club) replaced the Basotho hat as the primary emblem. The colour scheme and pattern changed as well, with a triangular white field standing for peace. The bottom diagonal contained a blue strip for rain and a green triangle for prosperity.
In 2006, the current flag was chosen from four proposed designs; all of these designs included a brown Basotho hat instead of the shield. This was subsequently changed to a black Basotho hat in order to represent Lesotho as a black nation.