Flag of Tonga

What the flag looks like

A red field with a white rectangle in the upper hoist containing a red cross.

What it means

The cross represents Christianity and the red the blood of Christ.

How to remember it

A red field with a small red cross in a white corner box: Tonga's flag looks like a Red Cross banner, and its constitution says it may never change.

Fun facts

• Tonga's constitution states that the flag shall never be altered.
• An earlier version was white with a red cross, but it was changed because it looked too much like the Red Cross flag.
• Tonga was never fully colonised: it was a British protected state from 1900 to 1970 but kept its own monarchy throughout.

Tonga at a glance

Capital

Nuku'alofa

Region

Polynesia

Population

104,175

Area

747 km²

Languages

English, Tongan

Currency

Tongan paʻanga (T$)

Flag adopted

1875

Flags often confused with Tonga

• Switzerland: Switzerland and Tonga both show a cross on red and white. Switzerland has a white cross in the center of a square flag; Tonga has a red cross in a white box in the upper-left corner.