 | |
| Flag of Tristan da Cunha | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,state ensign  |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | 20 October 2002; 23 years ago (20 October 2002) |
| Design | Blue Ensign with thecoat-of-arms of Flag of Tristan da Cunha in the fly. |
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Theflag ofTristan da Cunha was adopted on 20 October 2002, in a proclamation made by theGovernor of Saint Helena under aRoyal Warrant granted byQueen Elizabeth II.[1]
The flag is ablue ensign design, defaced with thecoat of arms of Tristan da Cunha — a Tristan longboat above aNaval Crown, with a central shield decorated with four yellow-nosedalbatross and flanked by twoTristan rock lobsters. Below this, there is a scroll with the territory's motto,Our faith is our strength.[1]
Similar to other flags ofBritish Overseas Territories, such as the other countries in the dependency ofSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, the flag is blue, with aUnion Jack in thecanton and a coat of arms on thefly. As with the flags of other British Overseas Territories, it is in a 1:2 ratio.[2]
Thecoat of arms features a shield bearing fouralbatrosses in a blue-and-white mirror image design. The central diamond-shaped charge is based on a charge from the arms of the da Cunha family to which AdmiralTristão da Cunha belonged, after whom the island is named: "cunha" inPortuguese means "wedge", and blue wedges feature in the da Cunha arms as a canting charge.[3] The twosupporters areTristan rock lobsters, which are found in the waters surrounding the island. Thecrest on theclosed or tilting helm(of the Da Cunha family of esquires), features a naval crown and a Tristan da Cunhalongboat.[3] The motto is “Our faith is our strength”.[3]
| Scheme | Blue | Red | White |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refs. | [4] | [5] | |
| Pantone (paper) | 280 C | 186 C | Safe |
| HEX | #012169 | #C8102E | #FFFFFF |
| MoD | 8711D | 8711 | 8711J |
| NSN | 8305.99.130.4580 | 8305.99.130.4584 | 8305.99.130.4585 |
| CMYK | 100.85.5.22 | 2.100.85.6 | 0.0.0.0 |
| RGB | 1, 33, 105 | 200, 16, 46 | 255, 255, 255 |
.svg)
In 1874, Saint Helena was accorded its own badge that was eventually utilised on its flag.[6] This consisted of a depiction of the territory's rocky coastline and anEast Indiaman.[7] The badge was later redesigned in 1984,[8][9] with theSaint Helena plover added to the upper portion.[7] Although this change was publicised in the island'sgovernment gazette in January of that year,[8] authorisation was only granted by theAdmiralty a decade later in 1994.[10]
The territory's flag was also utilised as the official flag ofTristan da Cunha, as well as onAscension Island in an unofficial capacity.[9][11] This continued until the two islands adopted their own distinct flags in 2002 and 2013, respectively.[1][12]
On 20th October 2002, Tristan da Cunha adopted its own coat of arms and put it on a blue design with Union Jack to form its own flag. (Prior to this, Tristan had used theCoat of arms of Saint Helena, originally adopted in 1984.) It officially became a flag the same year, but did not receive widespread recognition until it was used during a state visit by theGovernor of Tristan da Cunha to theUnited Kingdom.[13] (On the same day as the flag became official, the Governor also was given an official flag, which consisted of a Union Jack with the Tristan da Cunha coat of arms in the middle of it.[14] The coat of arms features alongboat, which is a part of day-to-day life for islanders, positioned above anaval crown.[1] The blue diamond on the shield is taken from the family coat of arms of the Cunha family, of whom Tristão da Cunha, the discoverer and namesake of the island, was a member. The rock lobsters on the sides areJasus paulensis,[1] also known as Tristan Rock Lobster, which live by the island.
Use of the flag is not common on the island, though it is draped outside the Albatross bar, the only pub on the island.[13] It is also often flown when boats arrive in the harbour, or during special events such as theKing's Birthday.
The official website of the Govenor of Tristan da Cunha suggests it be used, "in the presence of the Administrator, or acting Administrator, on land and at sea.".[14]
| British Overseas Territories |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Crown Dependencies | ||
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