Suriname, 1959

In 1954, Suriname became one of the constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and in 1959 a flag was adopted. On a white field five coloured stars represent Suriname's major ethnic groups: the original Amerindians, the colonising Europeans, the Africans brought in as slaves to work in plantations and the East Indians, Javanese and Chinese who came as indentured workers after the abolition of slavery. The ellipse represents the harmonious relationship amongst the groups.