Introduction
The flag of Tokelau is a dark blue field with a yellow Polynesian canoe sailing toward the upper hoist and four white stars of the Southern Cross behind it.
Meaning & Symbolism
The canoe is sailing toward the stars, which is how Polynesians navigated: by reading the sky. The four stars are the Southern Cross, the constellation used to find the way south.
The three atolls of Tokelau are represented by the canoe carrying them together, and the direction of travel is deliberate, pointing up and forward.
History of the Tokelau Flag
The flag was adopted on 7 May 2009 by the General Fono, which makes it one of the youngest flags in the world.
Tokelau is a non self governing territory of New Zealand with about 1,500 people on three atolls. It has twice voted on self government, in 2006 and 2007, and both times narrowly failed to reach the two thirds majority required.
Curiosities
- It is one of the youngest flags in the world, adopted in 2009.
- The canoe sails toward the Southern Cross, the way Polynesian navigators actually steered.
- Tokelau voted twice on self government, in 2006 and 2007, and both times fell just short of the two thirds needed.
- About 1,500 people live there, on three atolls with no airport.
- Tokelau runs almost entirely on solar power, having switched off its diesel generators in 2012.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Tokelau 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.