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Tanzanian local flags in c. 1576

Last modified: 2017-11-11 by bruce berry
Keywords: tanzania | portulano | dourado (fernão vaz) | crescents: 2 | crescent (white) | crescent: points to fly |
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Introduction

I have a small reproduction of an old map made by Fernão Vaz Dourado in 1576. This map reproduces the southeastern coastal areas of Africa, from southern Namibia to the easternmost tip of Somalia. It contains 9 reproductions of flags over those “city drawings” so common in the maps of that time. I GIFfed the flags to the best of my eye resolution (the reproduction is small and some details are not obvious). These are: Are these flags really the flags used by those places at the time? Or, rephrasing the question: are these maps reliable in what concerns flag-info (they are not in what concerns geo-info, that’s for sure!...)
Jorge Candeias, 04 Apr 1998

Old flag on northern Tanzania

[Old northern Tanzania flag]
                                                    image by Jorge Candeias, 04 Apr 1998

Placed in northern Tanzania on an old map made by Fernão Vaz Dourado in 1576. A triangular flag, very dark red (nearly marroon), whith a white crescent at the hoist.
Jorge Candeias, 04 Apr 1998


Old flag on central Tanzania

[Old central Tanzania flag]  image by Jorge Candeias, 04 Apr 1998
 

Placed in central Tanzania (in front of the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia, maybe Dar-es-Salaam) on an old map made by Fernão Vaz Dourado in 1576. Another deep swallowtail, divided yellow over red, with two white crescents at the hoist, centered vertically in each stripe.
Jorge Candeias, 04 Apr 1998