Tonga’s flag is red save for a small portion of its top left corner which is white. Within the white region, there is a red cross. Hence the flag official Tongan flag is made of two colors only: red and white. The ratio of the length to width of the flag is 1:2. The flag is popular for its use as the state flag, civil flag, state ensign, and civil ensign. The oldest flag in South Pacific Ocean, Tonga’s flag was adopted on November 4, 1875.
The red of the flag of Tonga is symbolic of Christianity. The white is a symbol of purity. The constitution of the country states that Tonga can never change its national flag.
Tonga’s flag was King George Tupou I’s idea. When he ascended to the throne, he desired to make the flag representative of the nation’s Christian belief. He worked together with Shirley Baker to create the flag. The flag’s upper left corner was then patterned similarly to the British Union Jack.
The first state flag of Tonga had a white background with four crosses at each corner. The colors of the cross were either blue or red. At the center of the flag, there were two letters “A” and “M.” These letters symbolized the king. Later on, it was discovered that Tongan flag was very similar to the Red Cross Organization’s flag. Therefore, the flag had to be changed to avoid confusion.
This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018
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