Cayman Islands
Although the flag was officially changed in 1999, both old and new flags are interchangeably used in an official capacity. According to the Government of the Cayman Islands, the flag includes the white roundel, unchanged from before 1999. The Parliament of the Cayman Islands has vested responsibility for the sale and production of all national flags to the National Museum and because they regard the white disc version to be correct, the vast majority of flags produced have white discs. The white disc flag is employed as the backdrop for the official 2020 portrait of the Governor of the Cayman Islands on the UK Government Website and for the portraits of most government officials.
The colors and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The blue and white waves evoke the Caribbean Sea, while the three green stars represent the territory’s three islands of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. The yellow lion on the red field is a conspicuous symbol of the Kingdom of England, the Cayman Islands’ mother country. The turtle alludes to the original Spanish name for the islands (Las Tortugas), as well as its tradition of seafaring. The pineapple signifies the Caymans’ connection with Jamaica, whose coat of arms features five pineapples. The turtle and pineapple also epitomize the flora and fauna of the islands. The motto, “He hath founded it upon the seas”, is derived from the Book of Psalms 24:2, and recognizes the Christian patrimony of the islands.