Papua New Guinea Flag

Description

The Papua New Guinea flag is available from Flags Online in full-size and desk formats, printed on both sides and made to last outdoors.

About the Papua New Guinea Flag

The Papua New Guinea flag is split diagonally from the upper hoist to the lower fly, with a black triangle bearing the Southern Cross constellation on one side and a red triangle bearing a bird of paradise on the other. It was chosen through a nationwide design competition in 1971, four years before the country gained independence from Australia, and has flown continuously since without alteration. Among the flags of this region it stands out for the boldness of its diagonal split and for having been designed by a teenager rather than a committee.

Colours and Symbolism

Red and black are traditional colours used widely across Papua New Guinea’s many tribal groups, appearing in bilas (ceremonial dress), carvings and body decoration long before the flag existed. The five white stars of the Southern Cross, on the black triangle, mark the country’s place in the southern hemisphere and its links with neighbouring Pacific nations that also carry the constellation on their flags. On the red triangle, a raggiana bird of paradise is shown in flight, rendered in gold. The bird is native to Papua New Guinea and has long been a symbol of tribal culture there; on the flag its soaring pose is generally read as representing the nation rising and finding its own path forward.

History of the Papua New Guinea Flag

An earlier proposal for the flag, drawn up by an Australian design panel, used a vertical tricolour and was poorly received when it was put forward in the early 1970s. In response, a national competition was opened to the public, and the winning design came from Susan Karike, a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl. Her diagonal black-and-red design, which became the Papua New Guinea flag now in use, was formally adopted by the national parliament on 1 July 1971. It continued in use through the years of self-government that followed and was carried forward as the national flag when Papua New Guinea became fully independent on 16 September 1975, requiring no redesign at the point of independence itself.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Papua New Guinea flag is flown at government offices, schools and airports across the country, and features prominently on Independence Day each September. Because the design is asymmetric, with the black triangle always at the hoist, it is easy to fly it incorrectly if the diagonal is mirrored or if the triangles are transposed – a detail worth checking whenever the flag is printed or reproduced. As with most national flags, it should be hoisted at sunrise and lowered at sunset where practical, and replaced once the colours fade or the fabric wears thin.

Papua New Guinea Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 180 x 120cm — R795
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R340

Material and Construction

Made from 100% polyester bunting material and digitally printed on both sides. Hemmed all around with two rows of stitching and finished with a polyester webbing heading. Rope and toggle for hoisting included.

Supplied in packs of 10. Printed on both sides onto polyester and supplied with a black plastic stick and removable base — take the base off and it doubles as a hand waving flag.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Papua New Guinea flag is printed to order and dispatched from our Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Johannesburg branches, with courier delivery nationwide. Bulk and school orders are welcome — contact us for volume pricing on quantities of 10 or more.

Additional information