Flag of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea's flag is split corner to corner into a red triangle with a gold bird-of-paradise and a black triangle with five white stars of the Southern Cross.
At a glance
- Adopted
- July 1, 1971adopted in 1971, four years before independence on 16 September 1975 (Wikipedia also gives 11 March 1971 for the parliament vote)
- Shape (height : width)
- 3:4
- Capital
- Port Moresby
- Continent
- Oceania
- Colours
- black
- red
- gold
- white
What it means
- Bird-of-paradise: a symbol of the country's peoples and culture; flying upward, it stands for the nation rising to independence
- Southern Cross: ties with Australia and other countries of the South Pacific
- Red, black and gold: traditional colours of Papua New Guinea's peoples
Where it came from
The flag was designed by Susan Karike, who won a nationwide competition in 1971. Wikipedia says she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl; Flags of the World says she was about 18 and an art teacher. Either way, she was very young when her design became the flag.
History
Before the competition, the Australian-run government proposed a design by Hal Holman, an upright blue, yellow and green tricolour with a bird and the Southern Cross. People did not like it, so the competition was held instead.
Karike's design was adopted in 1971, while the country was still run by Australia. Its construction was adjusted in 1973, and it became the flag of the independent country on 16 September 1975.
Fun facts
- According to Wikipedia, its designer was only 15 years old.
- The bird is a Raggiana bird-of-paradise, known locally as the kumul.
- The flag is a 3:4 shape, a little taller than most flags.
- A tiny mistake in the position of one star in 1971 had to be corrected the same year.
- The navy uses a white flag with the national flag in the top corner.
Questions
What does the flag of Papua New Guinea look like?
Papua New Guinea's flag is split corner to corner into a red triangle with a gold bird-of-paradise and a black triangle with five white stars of the Southern Cross.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Papua New Guinea mean?
Bird-of-paradise: a symbol of the country's peoples and culture; flying upward, it stands for the nation rising to independence; Southern Cross: ties with Australia and other countries of the South Pacific; Red, black and gold: traditional colours of Papua New Guinea's peoples.
When was the flag of Papua New Guinea adopted?
The current flag of Papua New Guinea was adopted on July 1, 1971. (adopted in 1971, four years before independence on 16 September 1975 (Wikipedia also gives 11 March 1971 for the parliament vote))
What colours are on the flag of Papua New Guinea?
The flag of Papua New Guinea uses black, red, gold and white.
Famous landmarks in Papua New Guinea
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)