The state flag of the Republic of Kiribati, located on the Pacific Islands, was adopted and approved in July 1979, when the country gained independence.
Description and proportions of the flag of Kiribati
The national flag of Kiribati has a classic rectangular shape, and its length is exactly twice its width. The upper part of the cloth is painted in bright red, and the lower margin is a stylized image of sea waves. Three thin white wavy stripes interspersed with three blue stripes, the lower of which is wider than the other two. Above the top white stripe on the red field of the flag, there is a rising sun and a frigate bird flying towards the pole. The sun and the frigate are painted in gold.
The colors of the flag are important. Red is a symbol of the sky at dawn, and blue is the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in which the state is located. The white stripes on the Kiribati flag indicate the three island groups within the archipelago, and the amount of sun exposure indicates the number of islands. The sun itself reminds us that the islands are spread out on both sides of the equator, and the frigate bird is the totem of power and free disposition of the inhabitants of the republic.
The flag of Kiribati almost completely repeats the theme of the coat of arms of the state, adopted in the same year. The heraldic shield of the coat of arms is decorated with a frigate bird flying over the golden rising sun. The lower part of the shield is blue-white sinuous stripes, and its main field is bright red. Below the shield on the Kiribati coat of arms is a gold ribbon with a red lining, on which the country's motto is inscribed: “Health. Peace. Prosperity.
The Kiribati flag can be used by state law for all purposes on land and in water. It is raised by both private individuals and official bodies, it is used by the military and ship owners, as well as by the Kiribati merchant fleet.
History of the flag of Kiribati
As a British colony, Kiribati used a typical flag adopted in all overseas possessions of this European state. It was a blue rectangular cloth with the flag of Great Britain inscribed in its upper left quarter. On the right side of the flag was the coat of arms of Kiribati.
In 1979, Arthur Grimble developed a draft of the new state flag of Kiribati, which took into account all the moments and traditions important for the country's population. Since then, the flag with a frigate flying over the rising sun has served as one of the main symbols of Kiribati, along with the coat of arms and anthem.
