Last modified: 2004-12-29 by santiago dotor
Keywords: papua new guinea | papua niugini | papua | new guinea | southern cross | bird of paradise | pacific community | governor-general | lion: passant guardant | crown: royal | scroll |
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![[Papua New Guinea]](../images/p/pg.gif)
3:4 
by Zeljko Heimer
Flag adopted 1st July 1971
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The flag of Papua New Guinea was adopted on 1 July 1971. The year of independence was 1975.
Mark Sensen, 5 December 1995
The national flag has two triangles of red over black. The local kumul bird of paradise flies across the red half, symbolizing Papua New Guinea's emergence into nationhood. The five five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation appear in the black, reflecting ties with Australia and other nations of the South Pacific. Black, red and yellow are also traditional colors in Papua New Guinea.
Nick Artimovich, 1 November 1996
A few precisions from Dorling Kindersley 1997: "The flag was designed by a local art teacher, Susan Karike. The five stars also refer to a local legend about five sisters." But, looking carefully at the images from Smith 1980, Dorling Kindersley 1997 and Album des Pavillons, it appears that the top and bottom stars of the Crux Australis should be placed on an imaginary line strictly parallel to the hoist (same geometric pattern as Samoa). The image in FOTW is therefore slightly wrong. Strangely the naval ensign with national flag in the canton is correct!
Concerning the two middle, horizontal stars, the right star is slightly shifted to the top of the flag in FOTW. It is more shifted in Dorling Kindersley 1997. In Album des Pavillons it is not shifted at all but it is smaller. In Smith 1980, the stars are of the same size and there is no shift (as in the naval ensign). Who has an official