Solomon Islands

The flag of Solomon Islands consists of a thin yellow diagonal stripe from the lower hoist-side corner, with a blue upper triangle and green lower triangle, and the canton charged with five white stars. Adopted in 1977 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the protectorate, it has been the flag of Solomon Islands since 18 November of that year, eight months before the country gained independence. Although the number of provinces has since increased, the number of stars on the flag that originally represented them remained unchanged.

The colours and symbols of the flag have cultural, political, and regional meanings. The blue evokes the water, as well as its significance to the country in the form of rivers, rain, and the Pacific Ocean. The green alludes to the land, along with the trees and crops that grow on it. The yellow epitomises the sun and its rays separating the land and the ocean. The five stars are arranged in three offset rows at the canton, in the shape of the letter X. At first, these were meant to symbolise the provinces that the country was subdivided into at the time of independence (Central, Western, Eastern, Malaita and Honiara Capital). Even though new provinces have since been created, the number of stars has remained unchanged. One of the various proposed alternatives to the present flag of Australia is an emblem labelled the 'Southern Horizon'. Having been voted as the favourite in an unofficial poll of more than 8,000 people, its blue, gold, and green colour scheme – together with its depiction of the Southern Cross – is noted for its conspicuous resemblance to that of the Solomon Islands flag.