The

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, an island nation in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

, was adopted upon the start of self-government, May 1, 1979. The flag was designed by Emlain Kabua, who served as the first First Lady of the republic. Rules and specifications regarding the flag are set forth in the Official Flag of the Marshall Islands Act 1979 (Public Law 1979–1).

History

The Marshall Islands were part of the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...

administered by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, from which the Marshall Islands,

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

, and the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...

split. In common with other island nations in the region, this flag features the symbolic representation of the islands' place within the ocean. The rising diagonal band represents the

equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

, the star above representing this

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

. The

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and orange portions of the band represent, respectively, the Ratak Chain ("sunrise") and the Ralik Chain ("sunset"), as well as symbolizing

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

and

courage Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

. The star's 24 points represent the number of

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

s, while the four elongated points represent the principal cultural centers of

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...

, Jaluit, Wotje and Ebeye. The flag is also the national flag with the most points on a star, at 24. This flag placed ninth out of 72 - the best flag of an independent nation that isn't

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

or the

, instead being in a free association with the United States - in a

North American Vexillological Association The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith, and others. Its membership of 1,100+ comprises flag s ...

poll that was held in 2001. Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg, Flag used during Spanish colonial rule in 1529 Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800).svg, Flag used during British colonial rule in 1788 Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg, Flag used during Spanish colonial rule from 1874 to 1885 Flagge der Ralik-Inseln.svg, Flag used during German colonial rule from 1878 to 1894 Jaluit Gesellschaft Var2.svg, Flag of The Jaluit Company from 1885 to 1906 Flag of Germany (1867–1918).svg, Flag of The

German New Guinea German New Guinea () consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups, and was part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of the territory, called , became a German protectorate in 188 ...

from 1906 to 1914 Reichskolonialflagge.svg, Colonial Flag of New Guinea from 1906 to 1914 Flag of Japan (1870–1999).svg, Flag used during Japanese colonial rule from 1914 to 1944 Flag of the Governor of the South Pacific Mandate.svg, Flag of Governor of the

South Seas Mandate The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the " South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following W ...

from 1920 to 1944 flag of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.svg, Flag of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; was used in the RMI from 1965 to 1979 Flag of the United Nations.svg, The flag of the United Nations was also used in the RMI from 1947 to 1965 US flag 48 stars.svg, The

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

with 48 stars was also used in the RMI from 1944 to 1959 (see Timeline of the flag of the United States for more information on the stars on this flag increasing in number) US flag 49 stars.svg, The flag of the United States with 49 stars was also used in the RMI from 1959 to 1960 Flag of the United States (Web Colors).svg, The flag of the United States with 50 stars was also used in the RMI from 1960 to 1986 Flag of the Marshall Islands.svg, Current flag, from 1979 to the present

Subnational flags

File:Flag of Ailuk Atoll, Marshall Islands.svg, Flag of Ailuk Atoll File:Flag of Bikini Atoll.svg, Flag of Bikini Atoll from 1987 to the present File:Flag of the Ebon Atoll (Unofficial).svg, Flag of

Ebon Atoll Ebon Atoll (Marshallese language, Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the Pacific Ocean, forming a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area is , and it encloses a deep lagoon with an area of . ...

File:Kwajalein Atoll Flag.svg, Flag of

Kwajalein Atoll Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking re ...

File:Majuro Atoll Flag.svg, Flag of Majuro Atoll File:Flag of Namdrik Atoll.svg, Flag of Namdrik Atoll File:Ujae Atoll Flag.svg, Flag of Ujae Atoll File:Flag of Wotho Atoll, Marshall Islands.svg, Flag of Wotho Atoll

Specifications

The flag has a ratio of 10:19. The star is situated such that its center is equidistant from the left edge, the top edge, and the top of the orange ray.

Colors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall Islands, Flag of the National flags Flags introduced in 1979 Flags of indigenous peoples