Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory

Territory or dependency

Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory uses wavy blue and white stripes with a Union Jack and a palm tree. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption November 8, 1990.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory
Entity Type	Territory or dependency
Identifier	IO / IOT
Region	Eastern Africa

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	November 8, 1990
First Documented Use	1990
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Blue, White, Red, Green, Gold
Construction	Wavy blue and white stripes with a Union Jack and a palm tree

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
Green	#009E49	0, 158, 73	100, 0, 54, 38
Gold	#FFD100	255, 209, 0	0, 18, 100, 0

Design and Symbolism

Blue	the Indian Ocean.
White	the waves.
Red	the Union Jack.
Green	the palm tree.
Gold	the crown.
Wavy stripes	The waters of the Indian Ocean — an unusual design for a British territory.
Palm tree and crown	The tropical islands and the British sovereign.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory

Wavy blue and white stripes with a Union Jack and a palm tree 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 British Indian Ocean Territory is Blue (#012169), White (#FFFFFF), Red (#C8102E), Green (#009E49) and Gold (#FFD100). 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

Wavy stripes: The waters of the Indian Ocean — an unusual design for a British territory; Palm tree and crown: The tropical islands and the British sovereign.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1990. The adoption field for the present record is November 8, 1990.

Entity status

British Indian Ocean Territory 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 wavy blue and white lines represent the Indian Ocean, with a palm tree and a crown above them.

The territory has no permanent civilian population, which makes this one of very few flags representing a place where nobody lives permanently.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Wavy blue and white stripes with a Union Jack and a palm tree, a 1:2 proportion and the visible wavy stripes. 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 — British Indian Ocean Territory — Specialist vexillological reference

Other british-style ensign flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory is recorded as wavy blue and white stripes with a Union Jack and a palm tree.
The reference proportion for the flag of British Indian Ocean Territory is 1:2.
The stored palette for British Indian Ocean Territory contains Blue, White, Red, Green and Gold.
The adoption field for this territory or dependency flag record is November 8, 1990.
The design record traces first use to 1990.
Its construction is grouped with the british-style ensign design family in this library.
Wavy stripes: The waters of the Indian Ocean — an unusual design for a British territory.
Palm tree and crown: The tropical islands and the British sovereign.
The wavy blue and white lines represent the Indian Ocean, with a palm tree and a crown above them.
The territory has no permanent civilian population, which makes this one of very few flags representing a place where nobody lives permanently.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory

What does the flag of British Indian Ocean Territory look like?

Wavy blue and white stripes with a Union Jack and a palm tree, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of British Indian Ocean Territory?

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

Which colours are recorded for the flag of British Indian Ocean Territory?

The reference palette lists Blue #012169, White #FFFFFF, Red #C8102E, Green #009E49 and Gold #FFD100.

What do the symbols on the flag of British Indian Ocean Territory represent?

Wavy stripes — The waters of the Indian Ocean — an unusual design for a British territory. Palm tree and crown — The tropical islands and the British sovereign.

When was the present flag record for British Indian Ocean Territory adopted?

The adoption field in this record is November 8, 1990.

Which design family does the flag of British Indian Ocean Territory 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 British Indian Ocean Territory?

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.