Flag of Solomon Islands

A thin yellow diagonal stripe runs from the lower hoist to the upper fly, with a blue triangle above it and a green triangle below. Five white five-pointed stars are in the upper hoist.

What the flag means

Reference books describe the blue as water, the green as land and the yellow as sunshine. The five stars first stood for the five administrative districts at independence. In a 2008 letter the Speaker of Parliament described them as the five main island groups.

History

A design competition was held in 1975. The first winning entry, with a frigatebird, was dropped because the bird was linked to only one province, and a second winner showing a black chain was also abandoned. The present design was approved by Royal Warrant on 18 November 1977, eight months before independence.

The five stars are not the Southern Cross, unlike the stars on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

Earlier flags of Solomon Islands

1906–1947Blue Ensign with the protectorate's name and a crown
1947–1956Blue Ensign with a shield bearing a sea turtle
1966–1977Blue Ensign with a quartered shield of the protectorate

Sources

Wikipedia: Flag of the Solomon Islands
Flags of the World: Solomon Islands

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.