Flag of Kiribati

What the flag looks like

The upper half is red with a golden frigatebird flying over a golden rising sun with 17 rays; the lower half has three white and three blue wavy horizontal bands.

What it means

The waves represent the Pacific Ocean, with the three white bands for the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands; the sun reflects the country's position on the equator and the frigatebird stands for power and freedom over the sea.

How to remember it

Picture a golden frigatebird gliding over a rising sun above wavy blue-and-white sea stripes: Kiribati's flag is a postcard of a Pacific dawn.

Fun facts

• The design is taken from the coat of arms granted to the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1937.
• 'Kiribati' is the local rendering of 'Gilberts' and is pronounced roughly 'KIRR-ee-bass'.
• Kiribati is the only country lying in all four hemispheres, and in 1995 it moved the International Date Line so the whole country shares one date.

Kiribati at a glance

Capital

South Tarawa

Region

Micronesia

Population

134,518

Area

811 km²

Languages

English, Gilbertese

Currency

Australian dollar ($), Kiribati dollar ($)

Flag adopted

1979