Netherlands Antilles St. Maarten Flag

Netherlands Antilles St. Maarten Flag

St. Marten, Sint Maarten, or St. Maarten – the variation in the name is almost the same as the reactions that some people give about the St. Maarten Flag. The disparity of the descriptions and explanations of the St. Maarten flag vary far and wide.
First, a brief historical fact contributing to making of the St. Maarten Flag:
The St. Maarten flag was adopted in June 13, 1985 exactly. Yet even before this date, the design of the St. Maarten flag has already been shaped by the nation’s rich historical background. The contributing events of the Court House establishment in Philipsburg, the rule of the Dutch house of Oranje -Nassau, and the Dutch -French Friendship unity, all explains the symbolism in the St. Maarten flag.
Description and Representation of the St. Maarten Flag:
The colors of the flag resemble that of the colors of the Netherlands’s flag. It has a red color above a blue color and a white triangle or Y-shape at the side reaching to 4/9th of the flag length. The historical Court House of Philipsburg is also represented in the center of the white triangle. The Court House (white with gray outline) is placed in a shield having a blue background and orange border. Also within the shield or coat-of-arms is a bouquet of yellow sage (with green leaves and flowers) which is the national flower located on the upper left side of the Court House. On the upper right hand of the Court House is a gray monument honoring the Dutch-French friendship and their unity in both parts of St. Maarten (French side and Dutch side, split between the Dutch’s Netherlands Antilles and France’s Guadeloupe). The orange color of the border of the shield symbolizes loyalty to the ruling Dutch house of Oranje (orange) -Nassau. The top crest of the shield is formed by a half yellow sun topped with a gray flying pelican. Below the shield is a yellow scroll with the motto “Semper Pro -Grediens” written in blue. The motto is a Latin phrase meaning ‘Always Progressing’.
Some people suggest that the St. Maarten (Dutch) and the Saint Martin (French) flags represent each other instead of Netherlands. Both flags are blue, red, and yellow, both have a Y design, and the yellow semi-circle in the Saint-Martin flag also answers to the sun in the Sint Maarten flag.
Nonetheless, the results of the referendum held in June 23, 2000 announced that Sint Maarten territory (the Netherlands/Dutch part of the Caribbean island) is becoming a ‘new country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands’, in other words, Sint Maarten is break away or separating from Netherlands Antilles effective June 1, 2002. Any news if the flag will change?
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