KINGSTON, Jamaica – Google, the United States-based multinational technology company that specialises in Internet-related services and products, on Friday recognised the 59th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence. 

On the search engine’s main page, a Google doodle is displayed with the Jamaican flag over a sky-blue background. Additionally, the word ‘GOOGLE’ is in white on a green banner below the flag.

A Google doodle is a special, temporary artistic logo on Google’s homepages that is intended to commemorate holidays, events, and achievements, among other things.

“Today’s Doodle celebrates Jamaica’s Independence Day, an annual holiday that commemorates the Caribbean island’s establishment as a sovereign nation on this day in 1962. Following the passage of legislation that made independence official, Jamaica hoisted its national flag for the first time,” the company wrote.

It added: “Depicted in the Doodle artwork, the Jamaican flag is the only flag in the world that is not adorned with red, white, or blue. Instead, the national symbol features a golden cross on the center, creating two black and two green triangles.

“This distinctive design was chosen in a national contest and earned this flag the nickname ‘The Cross’. The flag’s colors have their own symbolic meanings: green represents the Jamaican island itself, gold symbolises the sun that shines onto it, and black signifies the peoples’ strength in the face of hardship.  

“Happy Jamaican Independence Day!” wrote Google.

Some Google doodles are limited to country specific main pages. 

The Google doodle celebrating Jamaica’s Independence Day appeared when OBSERVER ONLINE accessed Google’s main page from www.google.com.jm.