On February 18, 1965, the Gambian flag was officially adopted. It consists of three horizontal colours; green, red and blue. The green which is located at the bottom, symbolises the forests of the nation, the land and agriculture. The red, which is located at the top, symbolises the savanna grasslands and the sun. The blue, symbolises the Gambia River that flows through the centre of the country. This is the reason behind why the blue is in the middle of the flag. The two white stripes either side of the blue stripe symbolise peace, purity and unity.