This is a list of flags used in Papua New Guinea.
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–present | Divided diagonally from the upper hoist-side corner to the lower fly-side corner: the upper triangle is red with a silhouette of the soaring Raggiana bird-of-paradise in yellow and the lower triangle is black with the Crux of four white larger five-pointed stars and a smaller star. Red and black have long been the colours of Papua New Guinea, the Raggiana bird-of-paradise is the national bird of the country, and the Southern Cross represents its position in the Southern Hemisphere.[1] [2] [3] The original 1970 proposal by Hal Holman had a mainly negative reception, due to its appearance as that of a "mechanically contrived outcome", thus the alternative proposal attributed to Susan Karike was chosen instead.[4] | |||
| 1840–Present | Union Flag | Is flown in the country alongside the National Flag. The British flag is flown to show unity and loyalty to the Crown. When a member of the royal family flies to Papua New Guinea, they are greeted and given royal salute with the British flag of Papua New Guinea |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1526-1545 | A white field with the Portuguese coat of arms in the center. | |||
| 1545-1623 | A red saltire resembling two crossed, roughly-pruned (knotted) branches, on a white field. | |||
| 1623-1795 | A horizontal triband of orange, white and blue. | |||
| 1652–1672 | A horizontal triband of red, white and blue. | |||
| 1795-1813 | A vertical triband of blue, white, and red (proportions 3:2). | |||
| 1795–1806 | A horizontal triband of red, white and blue with the Republic's emblem in the canton. | |||
| 1813-1884 | A horizontal triband of red, white and blue. | |||
| 1884-1971 | A superimposition of the flags of England and Scotland with the Saint Patrick's Saltire (Representing Ireland). | |||
| 1884-1899 | A white field with the German tricolour on the canton and defaced with a black lion with a red sword. | |||
| 1899-1918 | A tricolour, made of three equal horizontal bands coloured black (top), white, and red (bottom) | |||
| 1899-1918 | Colonial Flag of The German Empire | A tricolour, made of three equal horizontal bands coloured black (top), white, and red (bottom) with The Reichsadler in the center. | ||
| 1918-1921 | A triband made of three equal horizontal bands coloured black (top), red, and gold (bottom). | |||
| 1906-1971 | A Blue Ensign defaced with the seven-point Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter and the five stars of the Southern Cross in the fly half. | |||
| 1942-1944 | A white field with a red disc in the center. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1556-1580 | Royal Flag of Spain | A dark red square with the coat of arms of Spain in the center. | ||
| 1580-1623 | Royal Flag of Spain | A dark red square with the coat of arms of Spain in the center. | ||
| 1804-1813 | ||||
| 1815-1884 | Royal Standard of the Dutch monarch | The colours of the flag of the Netherlands with the royal coat of arms (without the mantle). | ||
| 1884-1971 | The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom (except Scotland) | A banner of the Queen's Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. | ||
| 1884-1888 | German Emperor's Standard | |||
| 1888–1918 | German Emperor's Standard | |||
| 1942-1944 | A gold 16 petal chrysanthemum centered on a red field. | |||
| 1962-1971 | Consists of a banner of the coat of arms of Australia, defaced with a gold seven-pointed federation star with a blue disc containing the letter E below a crown, surrounded by a garland of golden roses. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884–1888 | A blue British ensign with a white disc in the fly featuring the Tudor Crown over the initials "N.G.". | |||
| 1888–1906 | A blue British ensign with a white disc in the fly featuring the Tudor Crown over the initials "B.N.G.". | |||
| 1921–1971 | A blue British ensign with a white disc in the fly featuring the Tudor Crown over the letters "T.N.G.". | |||
| 1906–1971 | A blue British ensign with a white disc in the fly featuring the Tudor Crown over the name "PAPUA". |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between 1884 and 1914 | 1st design incorporating the horizontal black-white-red tricolour of the German Empire. | |||
| Between 1884 and 1914 | Proposed flags of German New Guinea | Another design incorporating the horizontal black-white-red tricolour of the German Empire. | ||
| Between 1884 and 1914 | Proposed flags of German New Guinea | Another design incorporating the horizontal black-white-red tricolour of the German Empire. | ||
| 1970–1971 | A vertical tricolour of blue, gold and green, with a white Southern Cross in the hoist and a white Raggiana bird-of-paradise. Designed by Hal Holman. |