Flag of Kiribati

Flag origins

Kiribati's flag places a golden frigatebird above a rising sun on a red upper field, with blue and white ocean waves below. Raised at independence on 12 July 1979, it was subsequently defined in the National Identity Act 1989. The bird represents strength and freedom as well as traditional dance patterns. The sun evokes the equatorial setting; its seventeen rays represent the sixteen Gilbert Islands and Banaba. Three white waves represent the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line island groups.

Flag story

The bird, sun and waves already appeared in the colonial coat of arms approved in 1937 for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. At independence, those images were enlarged into a full flag. The frigatebird is not merely a generic emblem of freedom: its movements also connect with local dance traditions.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Kiribati — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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