---
title: "Flag of Lesotho: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Lesotho flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/lesotho/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Lesotho

**The flag of Lesotho: Three horizontal bands of blue, white and green, the white double height, with a black mokorotlo hat centred on it.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 2006

The 2006 redesign replaced a flag showing an assegai, a knobkerrie and a shield with a hat — a deliberate swap of weapons for a cultural emblem, timed for the fortieth anniversary of independence. The mokorotlo's shape is said to be drawn from Mount Qiloane, a distinctive peak near the old Basotho stronghold at Thaba Bosiu. Lesotho's motto, Khotso, Pula, Nala, means "Peace, Rain, Prosperity", and the three bands run in that order. Very few national flags depict an item of clothing.

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **Blue** (#00209F) — Rain — which is what the country's motto asks for
- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Peace
- **Green** (#009543) — Prosperity
- **Black** (#000000) — The mokorotlo, and the Basotho people

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Mokorotlo | The conical Basotho straw hat, modelled on the shape of Mount Qiloane |

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 2006
- **Colours:** blue, white, green, black

## Common questions

### What does the flag of Lesotho look like?

Three horizontal bands of blue, white and green, the white double height, with a black mokorotlo hat centred on it.

### What do the colours of the Lesotho flag mean?

Blue: rain — which is what the country's motto asks for. White: peace. Green: prosperity. Black: the mokorotlo, and the Basotho people.

### When was the Lesotho flag adopted?

The current design dates from 2006, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [Lesotho](https://atoneplace.net/country/lesotho/)
- [Every flag with blue in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/blue/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of India](https://atoneplace.net/flag/india/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Brazil](https://atoneplace.net/flag/brazil/)
- [The flag of Australia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/australia/)
- [The flag of South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/flag/south-korea/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]