Flag of French Southern Territories
A dark blue flag with the French flag in the top left corner and, on the right, the white letters T, A, A and F woven into the shape of an anchor above five white stars.
At a glance
- Adopted
- February 23, 2007
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Continent
- Antarctica
- Colours
- blue
- white
- red
What it means
- French flag in the corner: the territory belongs to France
- TAAF monogram shaped like an anchor: the initials of the territory's French name; the anchor shape recalls the sea and ships that reach these islands
- Five stars: not explained in the official decree; they are often thought to stand for the territory's five districts
Where it came from
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands are an overseas territory of France: a group of remote islands in the southern Indian Ocean plus Adelie Land in Antarctica. Almost nobody lives there except scientists and staff. The letters on the flag are short for the French name, Terres australes et antarctiques francaises.
The flag was made official by a decree of the territory's senior administrator on 23 February 2007.
History
In 1958 Xavier Richert, the first senior administrator, created an almost identical flag for his own office, but with three stars instead of five. That older flag was often used as if it were the territory's flag, though it was never officially adopted.
The 2007 flag added two more stars. It flies outside the administrator's office in Saint-Pierre on Reunion Island, and it may be raised in the districts when people want to and the weather allows.
Fun facts
- The five districts are the Kerguelen Islands, the Crozet Islands, Amsterdam and Saint-Paul Islands, Adelie Land in Antarctica and the Scattered Islands near Madagascar.
- The older flag had three stars, possibly because the first administrator was a vice admiral.
- There are no official rules on how the flag must be used.
- Wild winds on the islands mean the flag is raised only when the weather allows.
Easy to mix up with
France: The French flag appears only as a small corner here; France's own flag is the blue, white and red tricolour across the whole flag
Questions
What does the flag of French Southern Territories look like?
A dark blue flag with the French flag in the top left corner and, on the right, the white letters T, A, A and F woven into the shape of an anchor above five white stars.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of French Southern Territories mean?
French flag in the corner: the territory belongs to France; TAAF monogram shaped like an anchor: the initials of the territory's French name; the anchor shape recalls the sea and ships that reach these islands; Five stars: not explained in the official decree; they are often thought to stand for the territory's five districts.
When was the flag of French Southern Territories adopted?
The current flag of French Southern Territories was adopted on February 23, 2007.
What colours are on the flag of French Southern Territories?
The flag of French Southern Territories uses blue, white and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of French Southern Territories?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of France. The French flag appears only as a small corner here; France's own flag is the blue, white and red tricolour across the whole flag
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Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)