Flag of Marshall Islands

The flag of the Marshall Islands was officially adopted on May 1, 1979, when the country gained self-government. It consists of a blue field with two diagonal stripes, orange and white, extending from the lower left to the upper right, and a white star in the upper left.

Meaning of the flag of the Marshall Islands

• The color blue represents the ocean. In vexillology, blue is associated with peace, stability, and spirituality;
• The white diagonal stripe represents peace, prosperity, purity, and harmony;
• The orange diagonal stripe represents the courage and strength of people and is associated with energy, warmth, and enthusiasm;
• A white star with 24 rays represents the country's municipalities, divided into two chains of atolls (coral islands): Ratak (eastern chain) and Raleik (western chain). Each of the chains includes 12 municipalities. Ratak includes such municipalities as Majuro, Arno, Ailuk, Mili, Likiyep, Tainia, Votye, Maloelap, Namu, Utirik, Aur and Bikini. Ralik includes the municipalities of Kwajalein, Jaluit, Enivetok, Rongelap, Ebon, Ujae, Lae, Lib, Ailinglapalap, Namorik, Kili, and Woto.

History of the Marshall Islands flag

The first contact of the Marshall Islands with Europeans was in the 1520s, when Spanish explorers visited the territory. However, they never established an official presence on the islands, and thus the Spanish flag was never raised. 

The period from 1875 to 1894 was characterized by the expansion of German influence in the archipelago. After signing the Treaty of Alliance with Imperial Germany in 1875, the Ralik Islands, which are the western part of the Marshall Islands, began to come under German influence. The flag of the Ralik Islands was officially approved by the chiefs in 1878 and consisted of five stripes: black, white, red, white, and black in the appropriate sequence. The colors of the flag were not random, but were taken from the flag of imperial Germany, which was a black, white, and red tricolor. Thus, two more stripes of white on black were added to the German flag from below in a mirror image, and the flag of the Ralik Islands was formed.

On September 19, 1893, a decision was made to officially use the German imperial flag on all German and derivative ships, but the local population continued to use their five-striped flag, which caused concern among the German administration. Then, on March 7, 1894, a decree was issued "Verbot des Landeshauptmannes, betreffend Führung der sogenannten Marshall-Flagge", which officially prohibited the raising of the Ralik Islands flag. The ban on the use of this flag was the final step in the process of complete subjugation of the Marshall Islands by the German colonial authorities. Unlike other German colonies, the Marshall Islands never had a special flag, but used the standard flag for German colonies - the imperial tricolor with a black eagle in the center.

The Japanese period in the history of the Marshall Islands began in 1914 during World War I, when Japanese troops began to control the Marshall Islands and planted their white flag with a red disk, also known as the "Hinomaru" (日の丸). Japan gained official control of the Marshall Islands in 1920 under the auspices of the League of Nations. The Japanese administration was more centralized and introduced its own system of governance, which included strict control over local chiefs and assimilation of the local population into Japanese culture. During World War II, the Marshall Islands became important military bases for Japan, were heavily fortified, and were targeted by American forces.

The influence of the United States on the Marshall Islands began during World War II when it captured several key atolls as part of Operation Flintlock. This allowed the United States to take control of a large part of the central Pacific and establish military bases for future operations against Japan. After Japan's surrender, the United States took control of all the Marshall Islands and began the process of reorganizing life on the archipelago. Unlike the previous colonial rulers, the United States not only used the islands as military bases, but also sought to ensure stability and security in the region. They were faced with the task of rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed by the war and helping the local population adapt to the new conditions.

After World War II, the Marshall Islands and other territories in Micronesia came under U.S. control as part of the United Nations Trust Territory system. The United States administered the Trust Territory on behalf of the United Nations to promote development and prepare the islands for self-government. Various variations of the American flag were used throughout the time of the U.S. presence in the Marshall Islands: from 1944 to '59, it was a flag with 13 white and red stripes and 48 white stars on a blue canton, then by '60 the stars became 49, and finally from 1960 until independence in 1986, the modern U.S. flag, consisting of 50 stars, was used. Since the United States administered the islands under UN administration, its flag was also used. During this time, the Marshall Islands received various types of funding aimed at developing the economy and education, but above all, the islands were of interest to the United States as military bases, including for nuclear testing from 1946 to 1958. These circumstances contributed to the development of the independence movement, as a result of which in 1979 the Republic of the Marshall Islands gained internal self-government and created its own flag, which is still used today, but the country gained its independence later.

On October 21, 1986, the Compact of Free Association between the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the United States of America entered into force. According to this agreement, the Marshall Islands received the status of a sovereign state, and the United States was allowed to deploy military bases on the territory of the islands, in particular on Kwajalein Atoll, which still plays an important role in the US defense system.