Flag of Cook Islands

Territory or dependency

Flag of Cook Islands uses blue Ensign with a ring of fifteen white stars. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption August 4, 1979.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Cook Islands
Entity Type	Territory or dependency
Identifier	CK / COK
Region	Polynesia

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	August 4, 1979
First Documented Use	1979
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Blue, White, Red
Construction	Blue Ensign with a ring of fifteen white stars

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Blue	#012169	1, 33, 105	99, 69, 0, 59
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Red	#C8102E	200, 16, 46	0, 92, 77, 22

Design and Symbolism

Blue	the ocean and the peaceful nature of the islanders.
White	the fifteen stars.
Red	the Union Jack.
Fifteen stars	The fifteen inhabited islands, arranged in a circle to show that no island stands above another.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of Cook Islands

Blue Ensign with a ring of fifteen white stars The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with british-style ensign designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Cook Islands is Blue (#012169), White (#FFFFFF) and Red (#C8102E). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Fifteen stars: The fifteen inhabited islands, arranged in a circle to show that no island stands above another.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1979. The adoption field for the present record is August 4, 1979.

Entity status

Cook Islands is classified here as territory or dependency. That label describes the entity represented by the flag and prevents a territory, state or constituent area from being presented as a sovereign country.

Additional flag context

The fifteen stars in a ring represent the fifteen islands of the group, arranged as a circle so that no island is shown as more important than another.

The Cook Islands changed flag three times between 1973 and 1979 before settling on this design.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Blue Ensign with a ring of fifteen white stars, a 1:2 proportion and the visible fifteen stars. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Cook Islands — Specialist vexillological reference

Other british-style ensign flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Cook Islands

Cook Islands is recorded as blue Ensign with a ring of fifteen white stars.
The reference proportion for the flag of Cook Islands is 1:2.
The stored palette for Cook Islands contains Blue, White and Red.
The adoption field for this territory or dependency flag record is August 4, 1979.
The design record traces first use to 1979.
Its construction is grouped with the british-style ensign design family in this library.
Fifteen stars: The fifteen inhabited islands, arranged in a circle to show that no island stands above another.
The fifteen stars in a ring represent the fifteen islands of the group, arranged as a circle so that no island is shown as more important than another.
The Cook Islands changed flag three times between 1973 and 1979 before settling on this design.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Cook Islands

What does the flag of Cook Islands look like?

Blue Ensign with a ring of fifteen white stars, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Cook Islands?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:2.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Cook Islands?

The reference palette lists Blue #012169, White #FFFFFF and Red #C8102E.

What do the symbols on the flag of Cook Islands represent?

Fifteen stars — The fifteen inhabited islands, arranged in a circle to show that no island stands above another.

When was the present flag record for Cook Islands adopted?

The adoption field in this record is August 4, 1979.

Which design family does the flag of Cook Islands belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with british-style ensign designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Cook Islands?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.