Flag of the Falkland Islands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 Flag of the Falkland Islands, 1999-present. Flag ratio: 1:2
Flag of the Falkland Islands, 1999-present. Flag ratio: 1:2

The flag of the Falkland Islands was adopted on September 29, 1948. It is a Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the Coat of Arms of the Falkland Islands superimposed.

The Falkland Island Dependencies had their own flag, what is now the Flag of the British Antarctic Territory, and did not use the Falkland Islands flag. However, when the British Antarctic Territory was created in 1963, the islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands remained dependencies of the Falkland Islands, and reverted to using the Falkands flag until 1985 when they became a separate overseas territory, and gained their own flag.

During the Falklands War, when Argentina occupied the islands, the flag was banned and in its place the Argentine Republic's flag was raised. Currently, Argentina maintains that the islands are part of the Tierra del Fuego Province and considers the province's flag to be the islands' flag, although it has never been flown on them.

A Red Ensign with the Falklands coat of arms superimposed was adopted in 1998 and is used as the Islands' civil ensign. Previously the plain red ensign was used by ships in the territorial waters around the Falklands.

The Governor of the Falkland Islands uses a Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms.

[edit] See also