The Solomon Islands flag (18 November 1977) comprises a thin yellow diagonal band from lower hoist to upper fly, forming a blue upper triangle (canton side) with five white stars and a green lower triangle. Blue evokes the ocean, rivers, and rain; green the land’s fertility; yellow the sun. The five stars originally denoted the five districts and today express unity among the main island groups. Chosen via a national competition before independence (1978), the flag typically uses a 1:2 ratio; construction sheets standardise star placement and stripe width for legibility. Although precise Pantone values are not fixed in law, public practice maintains consistent shades. Protocol mirrors international norms, including precedence with foreign flags and half‑masting for mourning. The design has remained unchanged, signalling continuity amid evolving provincial administration.
Adopted on 18 November 1977, the flag of the Solomon Islands is a geometric synthesis of land, sea, sunlight, and unity. The thin yellow diagonal band, set between a blue upper triangle and a green lower triangle, produces a clear, modern composition whose meaning has proved durable from late colonial transition through independence and into the present.
From Protectorate Ensigns to a National Emblem Under British rule (from 1893), the islands used the Union Jack and later Blue Ensigns defaced with local badges. Those badges evolved across the twentieth century, moving from narrow, district‑specific images toward a broader heraldic language. In the run‑up to independence, a national competition invited citizens to submit designs for a new flag that would be simple, legible at distance, and resonant across the archipelago. The selected scheme—blue, yellow, and green with five white stars in the canton—was approved in November 1977, eight months before independence, enabling a staged transition of symbols.
Composition, Proportion, and Construction The flag typically uses a 1:2 ratio. A narrow yellow stripe runs diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly, dividing the field into two large right triangles: blue above (at the hoist side) and green below (at the fly side). Five white five‑pointed stars occupy the blue canton, arranged in a distinctive pattern that reads cleanly on cloth and in print. Government drawings standardise the stripe’s width, the stars’ diameters, and their coordinates relative to the flag’s edges, helping manufacturers maintain recognisability across sizes.
Colour and Symbolism Blue signifies the surrounding ocean as well as rivers and rainfall essential to island life; green represents the land’s fertility, forests, and agriculture; yellow denotes sunlight and hope. At adoption, the five stars were linked to the five administrative districts; as provincial structures changed, the stars came to express unity among the principal island groups and, more broadly, the nation’s plurality. The palette mirrors natural contrasts that hold in tropical light and against maritime backdrops.
Protocol
and Usage Flag etiquette follows international practice: respectful handling; sunrise‑to‑sunset display unless illuminated; precedence rules when flown with foreign flags; and dignified retirement of worn banners. Half‑masting is ordered during national mourning. The banner is prominent on public buildings, in schools, at sporting events, and in diplomatic representation, where its diagonal banding aids recognition on moving fabric and in broadcast frames.
Continuity Since independence in 1978, the design has remained unchanged, providing stability despite administrative shifts. Ministries issue model artwork to discourage drift in star placement and stripe width, and procurement guidance maintains a consistent blue, yellow, and green across textile batches.
In sum, the Solomon Islands flag uses a spare geometry to map nature and community: sea and land divided by sunlight, five stars for unity, and a composition engineered for clarity from village mast to international arena.