Introduction
The national flag of the Republic of Nauru is a distinctive and symbolic banner representing the world's smallest island nation. Its design features a simple blue field representing the Pacific Ocean, bisected by a narrow horizontal gold stripe. Below this stripe, positioned slightly off-center towards the hoist, is a twelve-pointed white star, which is the flag's most prominent visual element.
The flag's color scheme of blue, gold, and white is both visually striking and deeply meaningful to the nation's geography and history. The single star is a unique feature among national flags, setting it apart from flags with multiple stars or other common celestial symbols. Its adoption marked a significant moment of national identity following the country's independence.
The flag's overall composition is clean and easily recognizable, with the central elements telling a concise story of the island's location and people. Its design avoids complex heraldry, favoring a more modern and symbolic approach to national representation.
Meaning & Symbolism
The blue field symbolizes the Pacific Ocean that surrounds the island nation. The gold (yellow) stripe represents the Equator, indicating Nauru's geographical position just one degree south of it. This stripe also evokes the island's historical wealth derived from phosphate mining, which formed from ancient seabird guano.
The twelve-pointed white star is the flag's central symbol. The twelve points represent the twelve original tribes of Nauru. The star's white color signifies the phosphate deposits themselves, which were the foundation of the island's economy. The star's position below the gold stripe (south of the Equator) precisely indicates Nauru's location in the world.
History of the Nauru Flag
The flag of Nauru was adopted upon independence from a United Nations trusteeship administered by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The winning design was created by a local artist employed by the flag manufacturer, Evie (Evelyn) Hazzard, based on ideas from the Nauru Local Government Council. It was first hoisted in a ceremony at midnight between January 30 and 31, 1968, as the nation celebrated its newfound sovereignty.
There have been no major official alterations to the flag's design since its adoption. Its creation and acceptance were part of a deliberate nation-building process for the newly independent republic, establishing a visual identity separate from its former administrators.
Curiosities
- Nauru's flag is one of the few national flags with a star that has twelve points, a direct reference to its twelve indigenous tribes.
- The flag's proportions are an unusual 1:2, making it longer relative to its height than the more common 2:3 or 3:5 ratios used by many other nations.
- As a small island nation, the flag's representation of its precise geographical location (south of the Equator) is a unique and defining feature of its design.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Nauru in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Construction Sheet
The flag's official ratio is 1:2 (height to length). The blue field covers the entire flag. The gold (yellow) stripe is centered horizontally and has a width equal to one-twenty-fourth (1/24) of the flag's total height. The twelve-pointed white star is positioned with its center on the imaginary line dividing the lower blue section in half vertically; the star's diameter is approximately one-twelfth (1/12) of the flag's length, and each point is at a 30-degree angle from the next.
Flags Similar to Nauru Flag
Marshall Islands
feature a star and stripe representing the Pacific and Equator
Micronesia
features stars on a blue field representing the Pacific
Kazakhstan
blue/gold celestial theme
Ukraine
blue and yellow bicolor, though arrangement differs
Common Misidentifications
Rarely misidentified due to its unique single twelve-pointed star design, but its blue and gold colors can evoke a general Pacific Island association.