Introduction
The flag of French Polynesia is a red, white and red horizontal triband in a 1:2:1 ratio, with the emblem of the territory centred on the wide white band.
The emblem shows a Polynesian double canoe on the sea, beneath a stylised sun, with a crew of five.
Meaning & Symbolism
The canoe is a pirogue, the double-hulled vessel that carried Polynesians across the Pacific, and its five figures stand for the five island groups of the territory. The ten rays of the sun and the waves beneath complete the scene.
The red and white are the old Polynesian colours, used long before the French arrival.
History of the French Polynesia Flag
The flag was adopted in 1984. Under the organic law on the status of French Polynesia it is one of the distinctive signs by which the personality of the country, fenua in Tahitian, may be marked at official public events, alongside the French national emblem.
That wording matters: the flag is flown with the French tricolour rather than instead of it.
Curiosities
- The five figures in the canoe are the five island groups of the territory.
- Red and white were Polynesian colours long before the French arrived.
- The law calls it a distinctive sign of the personality of the fenua, the country, rather than a national flag.
- It flies alongside the French tricolour, not instead of it.
- The central white band is exactly twice as deep as each red band.
Download Flag
Download the flag of French Polynesia in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.