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Tanganyika (1919-1964), Tanzania

Red Ensign
Blue Ensign
Governor-General's flag
Self-government and independence
Merger with Zanzibar

See also:

Red Ensign

by Mark Sensen, 4 Jan 2000

After WW1 Tanganyika became a Mandated Territory under the League of Nations, with the British as the mandated power. The flag that was used was the red or blue ensign, with a giraffe’s head in the fly. In the blue ensign the head is not situated in a white disk.
Stuart Notholt, 29 Jun 1996

Red Ensign redrawn

by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 Sep 2000

I have some doubts about some of these improvements. The Giraffe ensigns are a good example. How much real flags were more similar to Mark's simple design (yellow giraffe with black details and lining) than to Blas'(?) "painting style" image? For flags made to resist wheather and/or capable of being readily made from simple materials (and by simple people), the first design seems much more likeable.
Antonio Martins, 20 Sep 2000

These gifs are more like the illustrations in the official flag books. I agree that the actual flags may have been different in some respects, but since, from the flag books, we know what they should have looked like, but don't, in this case, know what they actually looked like, it is better to draw what is known, rather than what is imagined.
I have the impression that the quality of construction of British colonial flags varied. Much depended upon the officials who were responsible at any one time. Some were interested in flags and made sure that the flags were accurate, others did not. A defaced UJ was probably made correctly since it was the governor's personal flag, but Blue Ensigns were another matter. Some colonies made their own, others ordered them through the Crown Agents in London, and some seem not to have bothered with official designs. In 1932 the Tanganyika Immigration launch, which should have flown the Blue Ensign with a giraffe's head in the fly, actually flew a Blue Ensign with POLICE stitched on in white tape.
(PRO document, CO 323/1181/17) Much more informative, and much easier to make.
David Prothero, 23 Sep 2000

Tanganyika Red and Blue Ensign: 1919 - 1961, (not 1964). Both went out of use at the end of 1961 when Tanganyika became independent, not 1964 when Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to become Tanzania.
David Prothero, 23 Sep 2000

Blue Ensign

by Mark Sensen, 04 Jan 2000

Blue Ensign redrawn

by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 20 Sep 2000

Governor-General's flag

by Zeljko Heimer, 27 Mar 2003

This is shown in 'Flags of The World' by Bill Yenne, Published by Bison Books, Copyright 1993. However we have no info on it on <gb-coflg.html> - it seems that standard pattern and ratio was used, but in what period? (and would there be pre-1953 version?)
Zeljko Heimer, 27 Mar 2003

Self-government and independence (1 May 1961 - circa 30 June 1964)

by Vincent Morley, 08 Dec 1996

Tanganyika gained self-government from Britain (technically under a League of Nations Trustee mandate) on 1 May 1961 and became independent on 9 December 1961. The flag of Tanganyika was based on that of the ruling Tanganyika African National Union, which was a horizontal tricolour of green-black-red. The flag was modified in 1964 when Tanganyika merged with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
Stuart Notholt, 29 Jun 1996

In section new flags of Flag Bulletin 1 is described and pictured Tanganika:
9 December 1961 Tanganyika will become free. Details of the new national flag were released by its information service on 8 July 1961. The design consist of three horizontal stripes alternately of bright green, black and bright green, all of equal widht and length. This combination has been used for a long time by the countrys chief political party, the TANU, whose leader Julius Nyerere is the new prime minister. Added to the party flag are two smaller stripe of gold (i.e. yellow) probably in order to make the flag conform the heralidc rule, whereby color must not touch color. Each of these stripes is to be 1/16 of the flag widht. Green represents land, black peoples, and gold the mineral ressources. Official sizes are 6 x 4 and 8x12. The new design replaces the British ensign with the badge showing the giraffe head.
Jaume Ollé, 17 Apr 2001

Merger with Zanzibar

On 26 April 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form a new republic, the name ’Tanzania’ being adopted on 29 October 1964. Like the name of the country, the new flag was a merger of that of its constituent parts. The lower green stripe of the Tanganyika flag took the blue of the Zanzibari flag, and the stripes were re-arranged diagonally to give them equal status.
Stuart Notholt, 29 Jun 1996