| Vanuatu | |
| Imagetext: | Flag of Vanuatu |
| Use: | 111110 |
| Proportion: | 2:3, 3:5 or 19:36 |
| Adoption: | 18 February 1980 |
| Design: | A horizontal bicolor of red and green with a golden pall, fimbriated in black, with a black chevron filling the lefthand space (alternately, a golden fillet pall surmounting a black gusset) and two gold crossed namele cycad fronds encircled in a gold boar tusk centered on the chevron. |
| Designer: | Kalontas Mahlon |
The flag of Vanuatu (Bislama:) 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.[1]
The green represents the richness of the islands, the red symbolises blood which unites humanity as humans, and the black the ni-Vanuatu people.[2] 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 (pall) 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).[1] [3] [4]
The emblem in the black is a boar's tusk—the symbol of customs and tradition but also prosperity. It is 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.[1]
The government does not publish a formal specification sheet on its website. The construction sheet shown below is based on measurements from the official 2:3 flag image that appears in the State Flag and Armorial Bearings Public Declaration dated March 18, 1980.[5]
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–present | ||||
| 1971–present |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ?–present | ||||
| ?–present | [6] | |||
| ?–present | [7] | |||
| ?–present | [8] | |||
| ?–present | ||||
| ?–present | [9] |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Reconstructed secessionist flag of the Tafea Nation | [10] | ||
| 1980 | Flag of the island of Tanna, in Tafea Province, and of its secessionist movement | [11] |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–present | [12] | |||
| ?–2020 | Previous flag of Port Vila | |||
| ?–present | [13] |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887–1906 | A vertical bicolour of red and white with a blue square in the center and five 5-pointed stars inside the square.[14] | |||
| 1906–1953 | Flag of the British New Hebrides | A blue ensign with the emblem of New Hebrides (with The Tudor Crown). | ||
| 1906–1953 | Flag of the British resident commissioner | The Union Jack defaced with the emblem of New Hebrides (with the Tudor Crown). | ||
| 1953–1980 | Flag of the British New Hebrides | A blue ensign with the emblem of New Hebrides (with the St Edward's Crown) | ||
| 1953–1980 | Flag of the British resident commissioner | The Union Jack defaced with the emblem of New Hebrides (with the St Edward's Crown). | ||
| 1906–1940 1944–1980 | Flag of the French New Hebrides | A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2).[15] | ||
| 1940–1944 | Flag of the Free French administration of New Hebrides | A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red with the Cross of Lorraine. | ||
| 1963–1966 | A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red with the flags of France and the United Kingdom in the center. | |||
| 1966–1969 1971–1980 | Flag attested as being used in the 1966 and 1971 South Pacific Games | A blue field with the emblem of the New Hebrides in the center. | ||
| 1969–1971 | Similar to the previous flag.[16] | |||
| 1980 | A blue field with a green 5-pointed star in the center. | |||
| 1980 | [17] |