The Secret History Behind the Marshall Islands' Flag
The Marshall Islands' flag was designed by the first First Lady of the republic.
Emlain Kabua, wife of President Amata Kabua, won the flag design competition, and the flag was adopted on May 1, 1979, when the islands began self-government.
It is a blue field with two bands, orange and white, that run diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly, and a white star in the upper hoist corner. The star has 24 points, one for each electoral district, and four of them are longer: they stand for the main cultural centers of Majuro, Jaluit, Wotje and Ebeye. The star also recalls a cross, for Christianity. The blue is the Pacific Ocean, and the two bands stand for the Ratak (sunrise) and Ralik (sunset) island chains.
The date printed on every Marshall Islands design in our catalog, October 21, 1986, is the day the Compact of Free Association with the United States took effect.
A star with 24 points and a sunrise and sunset across the sea.
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