Flag of Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Flag of Vanuatu
Use	National flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion	19:36
Adopted	18 February 1980
Design	A horizontal bicolor of red and green with the black isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing the golden boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele fern fronds in the center and the golden pall, a thin yellow narrow horizontal stripe that splits in the shape of the horizontal Y, centered over the partition lines and was edged in black against the red and the green bands while the two points of the Y faces on each corner and encloses the triangle on the hoist-side.

The flag of Vanuatu was adopted on 18 February 1980.

In 1977 a flag of almost the same colours and symbolism as the future national flag was designed by local artist Kalontas Malon and adopted by the Vanua'aku Pati. When the party led the New Hebrides to independence as Vanuatu in 1980, the colours of the party flag (red, green, black and yellow) were chosen to be the basis for the national flag on Independence Day, July 30, 1980. A parliamentary committee chose the final design based on submissions from local artists.^[1]

Symbolism

Tusk and fern detail

The green represents the richness of the islands, the red symbolises the blood of wild boars and men, and the black the ni-Vanuatu people. The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Father Walter Lini, requested the inclusion of yellow and black fimbriations to make the black stand out. The yellow Y-shape represents the light of the gospel going through the pattern of the islands in the Pacific Ocean (approximately 83% of the people of Vanuatu profess Christianity).^[1]

The emblem in the black is a boar's tusk — the symbol of prosperity worn as a pendant on the islands — along with two leaves of the local namele tree. These leaves are supposed to be a token of peace, and their 39 leaflets represent the 39 members [sic] of the Parliament of Vanuatu.^[1]

Construction

With a flag width of 180 units, the width of the triangle, from hoist to point, should be 84 units. The height of the flag will thus be 95 units, with the yellow band being 5 units tall, the gold fimbriations are each 6 units tall and the upper and lower (red and green) parts of the field are, thus, 39 units tall each.^[1]

Other flags of Vanuatu

• 
  Naval Ensign^[1]
• 
  Presidential Standard^[1]

Subnational flags from Vanuatu

• 
  Flag of Penama Province^[2]
• 
  Flag of Sanma Province^[3]
• 
  Flag of Shefa Province^[4]
• 
  Reconstructed secessionist flag of the Tafea Nation^[5]
• 
  Flag of the island of Tanna, in Tafea Province, and of its secessionist movement^[6]

Historical flags of the New Hebrides

• 
  Flag of the Anglo-French Joint Naval Commission (1887–1906)^[7]
• 
  Flag of the British New Hebrides (1906–53, with the Tudor Crown)^[7]
• 
  Flag of the British Resident Commissioner (1906–53, Tudor Crown)^[7]
• 
  Flag of the British New Hebrides (1953–80, with St Edward's Crown)^[7]
• 
  Flag of the British Resident Commissioner (1953–80, St Edward's Crown)^[7]
• 
  Flag of the French New Hebrides (1906–40, 1944–80)^[8]
• 
  Flag of the Free French administration of New Hebrides (1940–44)^[7]
• 
  Flag attested as being used in the 1963 South Pacific Games^[7]
• 
  Flag attested as being used in the 1966 South Pacific Games^[7]
• 
  Flag attested as being used in the 1969 South Pacific Games^[9]
• 
  Flag of the ephemeral Republic of Vemerana (1980)^[10]
• 
  Flag of People's Provisional Government of Vanuatu led by Vanua'aku Pati^[8]

See also

• Coat of arms of Vanuatu
• Flag of South Africa (adopted 1994) which also closely resembles the flag of Vanuatu
• Flag of Tuva (created 1992) which closely resembles the flag of Vanuatu

References