Kiribati Flag

Description

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

About the Kiribati Flag

A golden frigatebird flies above a rising sun on the upper half of the Kiribati flag, with three wavy white stripes crossing a blue lower half to represent the ocean below. The unusual proportions, taller than most national flags relative to their width, come directly from the colonial coat of arms the design was based on.

Colours and Symbolism

The frigatebird is associated with power, freedom and the seabird’s place in local dance and cultural tradition, while the seventeen rays of the rising sun stand for the sixteen islands of the Gilbert group together with Banaba, formerly known as Ocean Island. The red upper field and blue lower field, divided by the three white wave stripes, represent the nation’s position straddling the equator and its scattering of islands across the central Pacific, grouped into the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands.

History of the Kiribati Flag

The design traces back to a badge created for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony in 1931 by colonial administrator Sir Arthur Grimble, which was formally granted as a coat of arms by the College of Arms in London in 1937. When the Gilbert Islands moved toward independence in the late 1970s, a local design competition produced a national flag based closely on that older badge.

Although the College of Arms proposed some changes to the composition, residents pushed to keep the original image largely intact, and the Kiribati flag was raised for the first time during independence celebrations in Tarawa on 12 July 1979. Keeping the older badge so closely intact gave the newly independent nation a flag with roots reaching back decades, rather than a design created from scratch at the point of independence.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Kiribati flag is flown at government offices and schools across the islands and is central to Independence Day commemorations each July. Its striking red and blue design, drawn directly from the pre-independence coat of arms, makes it one of the more visually distinctive flags among the Pacific island nations, and it is frequently reproduced in local art and craft alongside its use as the national flag.

Kiribati Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 180 x 120cm — R860
• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R400

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.

Flying your Kiribati flag outdoors? Pair it with one of our ground flag poles or building-mounted flag poles. For offices, boardrooms and classrooms, our indoor flag poles keep it upright and off the floor. You can also browse our full range of Oceania flags.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Kiribati 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.

Order Lead Times

Almost everything we make is freshly printed and made to order, just for you! So please allow 3–5 working days for us to prepare your order before it heads out the door. We’ll always try to get it to you sooner where we can. Some fast movers, like South African flags, ship quicker as they’re often in stock.

One quick thing to keep in mind: the “next working day” you see on your order confirmation is the courier’s delivery time from the day we dispatch — not from the day you place your order. So it’s really 3–5 days to prepare + next-day delivery.

Good things are worth the wait — we’re excited to get your order into your hands.

Additional information