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Australia

The flag of Australia, also known as the Australian Blue Ensign, is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars (one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars). Australia also has a number of other official flags representing its people and core functions of government. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Fiji

The national flag of Fiji (Fijian: kuila ni Viti) was adopted on 10 October 1970. The state arms have been slightly modified but the flag has remained the same as during Fiji's colonial period. It is a defaced cyan 'Blue Ensign' (the actual Blue Ensign version of the flag is the Government ensign), with the shield from the national coat of arms. It has remained unchanged since Fiji was declared a republic in 1987, despite calls from some politicians for changes. A plan to change the flag, announced by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama in 2013, was abandoned in August 2016. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Kiribati

The flag of Kiribati (Gilbertese: buraki ni Kiribati) is red in the upper half with a gold frigatebird (Fregata minor, in Gilbertese: te eitei) flying over a gold rising sun (otintaai), and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean and the three archipelagoes (Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands). The 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and Banaba (former Ocean Island). The yellow frigatebird symbolises command over the sea, freedom, and dance patterns. The blue and white wavy bands represent the Pacific Ocean, which surrounds Kiribati, and the sun refers to Kiribati's position astride the Equator. The flag is derived from a badge designed by Sir Arthur Grimble in 1931 for the flag of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands British colony and granted in 1937. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Marshall Islands

The flag of the Marshall Islands, an island nation in the Pacific, was adopted upon the start of self-government, May 1, 1979. The flag was designed by Emlain Kabua, who served as the first First Lady of the republic. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Micronesia

The flag of the Federated States of Micronesia was adopted on 30 November 1978. The blue field represents the Pacific Ocean. In an echo of U.S. heraldic practice, the stars represent the four federated states: Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and Yap, arranged like the points of the compass. The four white stars are oriented in a circle with none of the 'rays' pointing inwards, adorning a shade of blue representing the Pacific Ocean. The ratio of the flag is 10:19 and the width of each star to the flag is 1:5, though it is permissible to reproduce the flag in other dimensions for unofficial purposes. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

New Zealand

The flag of New Zealand (Māori: Te haki o Aotearoa), also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corner – augmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation. New Zealand's first internationally accepted national flag, the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, was adopted in 1834, six years before New Zealand's separation from New South Wales and creation as a separate colony following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Chosen by an assembly of Māori chiefs at Waitangi in 1834, the flag was of a St George's Cross with another cross in the canton containing four stars on a blue field. After the formation of the colony in 1840, British ensigns began to be used. The current flag was designed and adopted for use on the colony's ships in 1869, was quickly adopted as New Zealand's national flag, and given statutory recognition in 1902. For several decades there has been debate about changing the flag. In 2016, a two-stage binding referendum on a flag change took place with voting on the second final stage closing on 24 March. In this referendum, the country voted to keep the existing flag by 57% to 43%. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Palau

The flag of Palau was adopted on 1 January 1981, when the island group separated from the United Nations Trust Territory. As with the flags of several other Pacific island groups, light blue is the color used to represent the ocean and the nation's place within it. While this puts Palau in common with the Federated States of Micronesia and other neighboring island groups, the disc on the flag (similar to that on Japan's flag) is off-centre like that of the flag of Bangladesh, but in this case the disc represents the moon instead of the sun. The current flag was introduced in 1981 when Palau became a republic. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Samoa

The flag of Samoa (Samoan: fu‘a o Sāmoa) was first adopted from 24 February 1949, for UN Trusteeships, and continuously applied for the state's independence on 1 January 1962. It consists of a red field with a blue rectangle in the canton. The blue rectangle bears the Southern Cross: four large white stars and one smaller star. The flag is officially defined by the Official Flag and National Anthem of Samoa Act 1994. When it is being raised or lowered in public people and vehicles must stop and remain stationary until the performance is complete. Those who deface the flag or who wilfully insult it can be imprisoned for up to six months. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Solomon Islands

The flag of Solomon Islands consists of a thin yellow diagonal stripe divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner, with a blue upper triangle and green lower triangle, and the canton charged with five white stars. Adopted in 1977 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the protectorate, it has been the flag of Solomon Islands since 18 November of that year, eight months before the country gained independence. Although the number of provinces has since increased, the number of stars on the flag that originally represented them remained unchanged. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Tonga

The flag of Tonga consists of a red field with a white canton charged with a red couped cross. Adopted in 1875 after being officially enshrined into the nation's constitution, it has been the flag of the Kingdom of Tonga since that year. The constitution stipulates that the national flag can never be changed. The colours and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The red couped cross alludes to Christianity, the religion practised by approximately 97% of the country's population. It is one of 28 national flags to contain overtly Christian symbols. The white epitomizes purity, while the red evokes the sacrifice of the Blood of Christ, which was shed during the Crucifixion. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Tuvalu

The current flag of Tuvalu was instated when the country became independent in 1978, after the separation from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1976. Like many former and current British dependencies, the Tuvaluan flag is a blue ensign based on the Union Flag, which is shown in the canton of the flag; but has a sky blue field rather than the conventional blue. The previous flag (with the Gilberts) was also based on the Union Flag but with the coat of arms created by Sir Arthur Grimble in 1932, the resident commissioner of the British colony. The stars represent the nine islands which comprise Tuvalu; the arrangement is geographically correct, with the east towards the top (i.e. north to the left). (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Vanuatu

The flag of Vanuatu (Bislama: flaeg blong Vanuatu) was adopted on 18 February 1980. In 1977 a flag of almost the same colours and symbolism as the future national flag was designed by local artist Kalontas Malon and adopted by the Vanua'aku Pati. When the party led the New Hebrides to independence as Vanuatu in 1980, the colours of the party flag (red, green, black and yellow) were chosen to be the basis for the national flag on Independence Day, 30 July 1980. A parliamentary committee chose the final design based on submissions from local artists. The green represents the richness of the islands, the red symbolises blood which unites humanity as humans, and the black the ni-Vanuatu people. The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Father Walter Lini, requested the inclusion of yellow and black fimbriations to make the black stand out. The yellow Y-shape represents the shape of Vanuatu islands on the map and the light of the gospel going through the pattern of the islands in the Pacific Ocean (approximately 83% of the people of Vanuatu profess Christianity). The emblem in the black is a boar's tusk — the symbol of customs and tradition but also prosperity. Its worn as a pendant on the islands – along with two leaves of the local namele tree. These leaves are supposed to be a token of peace, and their 39 leaflets represent the original 39 members of the Parliament of Vanuatu. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

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