It is one of a relatively small number of national flags incorporating a diagonal line (heraldic bend, bend sinister), with other examples including the DR Congo, Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago and Brunei.

It was turned into a UN Trust Territory after World War II, when the LN dissolved in 1946 and the United Nations was formed.

[1] The aim of the political party was to attain independence for the territory;[2] its flag was a tricolour consisting of three horizontal green, black and yellow bands.

The green alludes to the natural vegetation and "rich agricultural resources" of the country,[3][5] while black represents the Swahili people who are native to Tanzania.

[5] The thin stripes stand for Tanzania's mineral wealth,[3][4][7] derived from the "rich deposits" in the land.