The flag of Vanuatu was adopted on February 13, 1980.
When the Vanua'aku Party led the New Hebrides to independence as Vanuatu in 1980, the colors of the party flag (red, green, black and yellow) were chosen to be the basis for the national flag. A parliamentary committee chose the final design based on submissions from local artists.[citation needed]
The green represents the richness of the islands, the red symbolises the blood of boars and men, and the black the ni-Vanuatu people. Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Father Walter Lini, requested the inclusion of yellow and black fimbriations to make the black stand out. The yellow Y-shape represents the light of the Gospel going through the pattern of the islands in the Pacific Ocean (approximately 83% of the people of Vanuatu profess Christianity).
The emblem in the black is a boar's tusk – the symbol of prosperity worn as a pendant on the islands - along with two leaves of the local namele fern. The leaves are supposed to be a token of peace, and their 39 fronds represent the 39 members of Vanuatu's legislative assembly.[citation needed]
Other flags of Vanuatu
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 Naval Ensign |
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| Presidential Standard |
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See also
Sources
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Flag of Tuva (created 1992) which closely resembles the flag of Vanuatu.
Flag of South Africa (adopted 1994) which also closely resembles the flag of Vanuatu.