Flag of Kiribati

Country

Flag of Kiribati uses red over wavy blue and white, with a frigatebird and rising sun. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption July 12, 1979.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Kiribati
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati
Identifier	KI / KIR
Region	Micronesia

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	July 12, 1979
First Documented Use	1937
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Red, Blue, White, Gold
Construction	Red over wavy blue and white, with a frigatebird and rising sun

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Red	#CE1126	206, 17, 38	0, 92, 82, 19
Blue	#003F87	0, 63, 135	100, 53, 0, 47
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Gold	#FFD100	255, 209, 0	0, 18, 100, 0

Design and Symbolism

Red	the upper field.
Blue	the Pacific Ocean.
White	the three waves.
Gold	the sun and frigatebird.
Frigatebird	Command of the sea, power and freedom.
Rising sun	The country’s position astride the equator, and the seventeen rays for the sixteen Gilbert Islands and Banaba.
Three waves	The three island groups — the Gilberts, Phoenix and Line Islands.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of Kiribati

Red over wavy blue and white, with a frigatebird and rising sun The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with banner of arms designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Kiribati is Red (#CE1126), Blue (#003F87), White (#FFFFFF) 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

Frigatebird: Command of the sea, power and freedom; Rising sun: The country’s position astride the equator, and the seventeen rays for the sixteen Gilbert Islands and Banaba; Three waves: The three island groups — the Gilberts, Phoenix and Line Islands.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1937. The adoption field for the present record is July 12, 1979.

Additional flag context

The design is a coat of arms rendered as a flag rather than a flag with arms added, which is why the frigatebird and sun fill the whole field.

The seventeen rays of the sun represent the sixteen Gilbert Islands together with Banaba, and the three white bands are the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line island groups.

The sun sits exactly on the horizon, marking the country's position astride the equator.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Red over wavy blue and white, with a frigatebird and rising sun, a 1:2 proportion and the visible frigatebird. 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 — Kiribati — Specialist vexillological reference

Facts about the Flag of Kiribati

Kiribati is recorded as red over wavy blue and white, with a frigatebird and rising sun.
The reference proportion for the flag of Kiribati is 1:2.
The stored palette for Kiribati contains Red, Blue, White and Gold.
The adoption field for this country flag record is July 12, 1979.
The design record traces first use to 1937.
Its construction is grouped with the banner of arms design family in this library.
Frigatebird: Command of the sea, power and freedom.
Rising sun: The country’s position astride the equator, and the seventeen rays for the sixteen Gilbert Islands and Banaba.
The design is a coat of arms rendered as a flag rather than a flag with arms added, which is why the frigatebird and sun fill the whole field.
The seventeen rays of the sun represent the sixteen Gilbert Islands together with Banaba, and the three white bands are the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line island groups.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Kiribati

What does the flag of Kiribati look like?

Red over wavy blue and white, with a frigatebird and rising sun, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Kiribati?

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

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Kiribati?

The reference palette lists Red #CE1126, Blue #003F87, White #FFFFFF and Gold #FFD100.

What do the symbols on the flag of Kiribati represent?

Frigatebird — Command of the sea, power and freedom. Rising sun — The country’s position astride the equator, and the seventeen rays for the sixteen Gilbert Islands and Banaba. Three waves — The three island groups — the Gilberts, Phoenix and Line Islands.

When was the present flag record for Kiribati adopted?

The adoption field in this record is July 12, 1979.

Which design family does the flag of Kiribati belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with banner of arms designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Kiribati?

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.