Flag of Fiji facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Republic of Fiji


Use	National flag
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	10 October 1970; 54 years ago (1970-10-10)
Design	A Cyan Ensign with the shield from the national coat of arms centred in the fly half.
Designed by	Tessa Mackenzie


Variant flag of Republic of Fiji
Use	Civil ensign
Proportion	1:2
Design	A Red Ensign with the shield from the national coat of arms centred in the fly half.


Variant flag of Republic of Fiji
Use	State ensign
Proportion	1:2
Design	A Blue Ensign with the shield from the national coat of arms centred in the fly half.


Variant flag of Republic of Fiji
Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	1:2
Design	A White Ensign with the national coat of arms centred in the fly half.


Variant flag of Republic of Fiji
Use	Civil air ensign
Proportion	1:2
Design	A dark blue cross outlined in white on a light blue field with the Union Jack in the canton and the shield from the Fijian coat of arms superimposed over the right arm of the cross.

The national flag of Fiji was officially chosen on October 10, 1970. This was the day Fiji became an independent country. Even though Fiji became a republic in 1987, its flag has stayed the same.

The flag has a bright blue background. It also features a special shield from Fiji's national coat of arms. Some people have suggested changing the flag, but it has remained the same. For example, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama planned to change it in 2013, but this idea was dropped in 2016.

Fiji flag-bearer at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup

What the Flag Looks Like
Flag Colors
Talks About a New Flag
Other Flags of Fiji
Fiji's Historical Flags
- Flags Before Colonial Rule
- Flags During Colonial Rule
See also

What the Flag Looks Like

Parts of the Fiji flag
Flags that make up the Union Jack
Fiji's Coat of Arms

The flag's bright blue color stands for the Pacific Ocean. The ocean is very important to the people of Fiji. It helps with fishing and brings many tourists to the islands.

In the top left corner, you can see the Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack. This part of the flag shows Fiji's historical connection to the United Kingdom.

The shield on the right side of the flag comes from Fiji's national coat of arms. This coat of arms was given to Fiji in 1908. The shield is white with a red cross and a red band at the top.

The pictures on the shield show important parts of Fiji's life:

At the very top, a British lion holds a cocoa pod.
The top left section shows sugar cane.
The top right section has a coconut palm.
The bottom left section features a dove of peace.
The bottom right section shows a bunch of bananas.

These images represent the farming activities on the islands.

The flag is very similar to the one Fiji used before it became independent. The older flag had a darker blue and showed the entire coat of arms, not just the shield. Some people wanted to remove the Union Flag because it reminds them of British rule. However, others wanted to keep it to remember Fiji's history.

Fiji is not the only country that keeps the Union Flag on its national flag. Other countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Tuvalu also do. But Fiji is the only one of these that is a republic.

Some important Fijian leaders have suggested putting the full coat of arms back on the flag. This would include the two warrior figures who guard the shield, a small canoe, and the national motto. The motto is Rerevaka na kalou ka doka na tui, which means "Fear God and honor the King." These symbols were on the flag of the first unified Fijian state in 1871.

Before Fiji became a British colony in 1874, its government had a different flag. This flag had blue and white vertical stripes. In the middle, it had a red shield with a white dove. This flag was no longer used once Fiji became a colony.

Flag Colors

The blue color of the flag does not have one exact official shade. It has been described using a few different color codes. Here are some of the color details for the flag:

	Cyan	White
Pantone	`2915 C`	`White`
RGB	`98/181/229`	`255/255/255`
Hexadecimal	`#62b5e5`	`#FFFFFF`
CMYK	`57/21/0/10`	`0/0/0/0`

Talks About a New Flag

In 2013, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced that Fiji's flag might change. He said a new flag would show Fiji's fresh start and a new sense of identity. This change was planned to go along with a new Constitution.

On February 3, 2015, Bainimarama confirmed the flag would be replaced. A national competition was held to design the new flag. The goal was to raise the new flag on October 11, 2015, which was Fiji's 45th anniversary of independence.

More than 2,000 designs were sent in for the competition. A special committee chose 23 final designs. People were given time to share their thoughts on these designs. The deadline for feedback was extended several times to allow more Fijians to take part.

However, on August 17, 2016, Prime Minister Bainimarama announced that the government would not change the flag. He explained that even though he personally believed in changing the flag's colonial symbols, it was clear that the flag should stay the same for now. The current flag became even more popular when Fiji won its first Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics while flying it. Many political groups were happy with the decision to keep the flag.

Other Flags of Fiji

Fiji uses several other flags for different purposes.

Presidential flag
Flag	Date	Use	Description
	c.1987–present	Standard of the president of Fiji	A dark blue flag with the outline of Fiji's full coat of arms in gold. It also has a traditional knot and a whale's tooth below it.

Ensigns (Flags for Ships and Aircraft)
Date	Use	Description
1970–present	Civil ensign of Fiji	A red flag with the Union Jack in the top left corner. The shield from Fiji's coat of arms is on the right side. This flag is used by civilian ships.
1970–present	Government ensign of Fiji	A blue flag with the Union Jack in the top left corner. The shield from Fiji's coat of arms is on the right side. This flag is used by government ships.
1970–present	Naval ensign of Fiji	A white flag with the Union Jack in the top left corner. The shield from Fiji's coat of arms is on the right side. This flag is used by the navy.
1970–present	Civil air ensign of Fiji	A light blue flag with a dark blue cross outlined in white. The Union Jack is in the top left corner. The shield from Fiji's coat of arms is placed over the right arm of the cross. This flag is used by civilian aircraft.
1987–present	Customs ensign of Fiji	A blue British flag with the shield from Fiji's coat of arms. The word "CUSTOMS" is written below the shield on the right side.

Other Flags
Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Fiji Red Cross Society	A white flag with a red cross in the middle. A light blue ring around the cross has the words "FIJI RED CROSS SOCIETY" in white.

Fiji's Historical Flags

Fiji has had many different flags throughout its history, from before it was a British colony to its time as a colony.

Flags Before Colonial Rule

Date	Use	Description
1871–1874	Flag of the Kingdom of Fiji	This flag had vertical white and light blue stripes. In the center, there was a red shield with a white dove holding an olive branch, topped with a crown.
1869–1871	Flag of the Confederation of Lau	This flag had horizontal white and red stripes. In the top left corner, there was a red cross.
1867–1869	Flag of the Kingdom of Bau	This flag had horizontal white, blue, and red stripes. It had a golden sunburst in the middle and a crown in the top left corner.
1865–1867	Flag of the Confederacy of Independent Kingdoms of Fiji	This flag was dark blue with a white eight-pointed star in the center.

Flags During Colonial Rule

Fiji was a British colony from 1874 to 1970. During this time, its flags often featured the British Union Jack and symbols related to the British Empire.

Date	Use	Description
1924–1970	Flag of the Colony of Fiji	A blue British flag with the full Fijian coat of arms on the right side.
1908–1924	Flag of the Colony of Fiji	A blue British flag with the full Fijian coat of arms on a white circle on the right side.
1903–1908	Flag of the Colony of Fiji	A blue British flag with a white circle on the right side. This circle showed a crown with a lion on top, and the word "FIJI" below it.
1883–1903	Flag of the Colony of Fiji	Similar to the 1903-1908 flag, but with a different style of crown.
1877–1883	Flag of the Colony of Fiji	A blue British flag with a white circle on the right side. This circle had a badge with leaves, crossed war-clubs, and a shield showing a mermaid.
1874–1877	Flag of the Colony of Fiji	The British Union Flag was the only official flag of Fiji for three years after it became a British colony.

Royal Flags
Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1871–1874	Royal standard of Fiji	A white flag with a white dove on a red shield, topped with a crown. Below the shield was the motto: "FEAR GOD AND HONOUR THE KING."
	1869–1871	Personal flag of the king of Lau	A vertical red and white flag with a white cross in the top left corner.

Flags for Governors
Date	Use	Description
1970–1987	Flag of the governor-general of Fiji	A dark blue flag with a crown and a lion on top. Below them was the word "FIJI" on a whale's tooth.
1908–1970	Flag of the governor of Fiji	A Union Jack flag with Fiji's full coat of arms in the center, surrounded by a wreath.
1903–1908	Flag of the governor of Fiji	A Union Jack flag with a white circle in the center. This circle had a crown with a lion on top, and the word "FIJI" below it.
1883–1903	Flag of the governor of Fiji	Similar to the 1903-1908 flag, but with a different style of crown.
1877–1883	Flag of the governor of Fiji	A Union Jack flag with a white circle in the center. This circle had a badge with leaves, crossed war-clubs, and a shield showing a mermaid.

Ensigns (Historical)
Date	Use	Description
1970–1987	Customs ensign	A blue British flag with the shield from Fiji's coat of arms. The words "H.M. CUSTOMS" were written below it on the right side.
pre-1970	Civil ensign	A red British flag with the coat of arms of Fiji on a white circle on the right side.
1881–1966	Customs ensign	A blue British flag with a white lower half. The letters "HMC" were inside the white part.
1871–1874	Civil ensign	The flag for civilian ships of the Kingdom of Fiji. It was white and blue with a red shield in the center featuring a white dove.