Flag of Saint Helena

Flag of Saint Helena

Map showing where Saint Helena is

What the flag looks like

A Blue Ensign with a shield in the fly: a wirebird on a yellow band at the top, above a three-masted sailing ship between two rocky cliffs.

What it means

The wirebird, or Saint Helena plover, is the island's national bird, and the ship approaching between the cliffs recalls the sailing ships that called at this remote Atlantic stop.

How to remember it

Saint Helena's badge has a little wirebird perched on a yellow strip above a sailing ship between cliffs; the Falklands put a ram above their ship instead.

Fun facts

  • Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena in 1815 and died there in 1821.
  • The wirebird on the flag is the last surviving bird species endemic to the island.

Saint Helena at a glance

Status
Part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Sovereign state
United Kingdom
Capital
Jamestown
Region
British Overseas Territory
Population
3,980
Area
122 km²
Languages
English
Currency
Saint Helena pound (£)
Flag adopted
1984

Flags often confused with Saint Helena

  • Falkland Islands: The Falklands and Saint Helena are both Blue Ensigns with a sailing ship on the badge. The Falklands put a white ram on green grass above the ship; Saint Helena puts a small wirebird on a yellow band above a ship sailing between cliffs.
  • Pitcairn Islands: Pitcairn and Saint Helena are both Blue Ensigns with a coat of arms in the fly. Pitcairn's shows an anchor, a Bible and a wheelbarrow; Saint Helena's shows a wirebird above a sailing ship between cliffs.
  • Ascension Island: Saint Helena and Ascension are both Blue Ensigns from the same territory with a shield in the fly. Saint Helena's shield shows a ship between cliffs under a wirebird; Ascension's has three white terns and is held by two green turtles.
  • Tristan da Cunha: Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha are both Blue Ensigns from the same territory with a shield in the fly. Saint Helena's shield shows a ship between cliffs; Tristan's shows albatrosses and is held by two rock lobsters.

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