 | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 5:8 |
| Adopted | 9 May 2006 |
| Design | A white flag with a redreimiro in the centre |
 | |
| Use | Former flag |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 1899 |
| Relinquished | 1902 |
| Design | A horizontal bicolor of red and white with the blue square ended on the upper hoist-side corner of the red band bearing theHearts of Jesus and Mary, across, amiter and vertical redreimiros surrounding.[1] |
The flag ofEaster Island (Rapa Nui:Te Reva Reimiro orTe Reva Rapa Nui,Spanish:Isla de Pascua) consists of a white banner with a redreimiro. It was first flown in public alongside thenational flag on 9 May 2006.[2]
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The flag of Rapa Nui is white and features in its center areimiro(a wooden pectoral ornament once worn by the people of Rapa Nui) painted in red (mana), a symbol of power, with two anthropomorphic figures at its edges, representing theariki(chiefs, nobles).[3]
The flag was created by the local population in 1880 for the island to adopt the apparatus of a modern state and hold a state-to-state dialogue with Chile, which eventually annexed the island in 1888.[3]
For many years, the flag was unofficially used by the island'sPolynesian population to represent their island. However, the official flag was the white and gold flag of the Municipality of Easter Island. In 2006, it was upgraded to a Special Territory and optional use of the Rapa Nui name was allowed in government documents for the first time, with the reimiro flag adopted as the entity's flag.[2]
Previously, a horizontal bicolor of red and white with a bluecanton bearing theHearts of Jesus and Mary, across, amiter and a pair of vertical redreimiros was used at the turn of the 19th century.[4]
A separate flag is used to represent the Isla de Páscua commune, the administrative body for Easter Island.[5]
Jean-Baptiste Dutrou-Bornier had a flag made during his despotic reign on Easter Island.[6] He first visited the island in 1866 and stayed there from 1869 until his death in 1876. The flag depicted the outline of a man-bird on an orange background.[7]
Media related toFlags of Easter Island at Wikimedia Commons