US chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1961 for his study of the assimilation of carbon dioxide by plants. Using radioactive carbon-14 as a tracer, he determined the biochemical processes of photosynthesis, in which green plants use chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen.
Blue represents the black population and links with Africa. Red stands for those of mixed race. The original blue and red flag was based on the French tricolour. Effective date: 25 February 1986.