Buy Nauru Flags
Flag of Nauru
Nauru is one of the smallest nations in the world, but that did not stop its government from holding a design contest that produced one of the most unique flags in the world. The Nauru flag is not the first flag that has represented the country, but it is the first one that is entirely unique to the nation and its people. Its status as the only unique flag in the nation's history gives the Nauru flag meaning as a strong symbol of the nation and its independence from all foreign powers.
- Capital of Nauru: None, government offices in Yaren District
- Area of Nauru: 21 sq. km
- Languages used in Nauru: Nauruan (official), English
- Religions in Nauru: Christian (Protestant and Roman Catholic)
Colors and Symbolism: Nauru Flag Meaning
The Nauru flag has a dark blue field that is horizontally bisected by a thin stripe of yellow. A white star with twelve points is placed under the stripe near the flag's hoist. The flag's field represents the Pacific ocean, and the stripe that runs through the middle of the field represents the equator. The star is placed directly below the stripe in order to represent Nauru, which is only one degree of latitude south of the equator. The star has twelve points in order to give the Nauru flag meaning as a symbol of the nation's twelve indigenous tribes. The white color was chosen for the star in order to honor the role that phosphate mining played in the development of the nation's economy.
History of the Nauru Flag
Nauru did not have a national flag until the colonial period, when it became part of the German Empire. The German government did not give a specific colonial flag to Nauru, so the island represented itself with the German flag when it chose to fly a flag at all. Nauru became independent from Germany in the aftermath of the first world war, at which point it became a League of Nations mandate territory under British administration. It used the British flag from 1919 until 1948, at which point it became a UN Trust Territory associated with both Britain and Australia. It used a new flag during this period that featured a red field with the Union Jack in the canton and six white stars on the field.
The nation held a contest to design a new flag when it drew close to independence. That flag came into use in 1968, and it has represented the nation of Nauru ever since.