The flag of the Island of Norfolk was officially adopted on January 17, 1980, after the design was approved by the Island Council on June 6, 1979. The flag consists of three vertical stripes of equal size: green, white and green, with a green Norfolk pine (Araucaria heterophylla) in the center of the white stripe.
Araucaria heterophylla is a unique coniferous tree that grows naturally only on Norfolk Island, but is also common as an ornamental tree in many other parts of the world, such as: Australia, New Zealand, California, Hawaii. The tree grows up to 50-70 meters in height and is an impressive representative of the Araucariaceae family.
After the discovery of Norfolk Island in 1774 by James Cook, the British Empire considered Norfolk pine an important resource for shipbuilding. As the British colonies needed materials to build and repair ships, these trees were highly valued for their quality of wood that could be used to make masts and rails. However, despite high hopes, technical tests showed that the wood was not strong enough, and this idea was not realized.
Norfolk Island was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1774 during his second expedition to the Pacific Ocean. In 1788, the British made it a colony, placing the first settlers here - prisoners and soldiers. During this period, the flag of Great Britain was used on the island. In 1825, the island was repopulated as a place of detention for particularly dangerous criminals, again under the British flag.
However, this period ended in the mid-nineteenth century with the resettlement of the descendants of the rebels from Pitcairn to Norfolk. The island of Pitcairn, one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world, became famous thanks to the crew of the Bounty, who rose in rebellion against Captain William Bly. The rebels, led by Fletcher Christian, escaped from British pursuers and settled on the little-known island of Pitcairn in 1790. The island's remoteness provided them with refuge from the British authorities. Over time, however, the population grew, leading to overcrowding, and in 1856 most of the rebels' descendants moved to Norfolk Island. By the way, the descendants of the Pitcairns live on Norfolk Island today.
In 1897, Norfolk was transferred to the jurisdiction of New South Wales, which led to the use of British colonial flags with regional signs characteristic of this territory. After that, in 1914, the island was incorporated into the Australian Union, and the national flag of Australia became the official flag, which was used until 1980, since, unlike other colonies, Norfolk did not have its own symbols until then.
In 1980, Norfolk, as an Australian external territory, finally received its own flag, which became a symbol of local autonomy and pride. The modern flag consists of two vertical green stripes and a white center stripe, which depicts the famous Norfolk Island pine tree.
