Flag of Papua New Guinea
The flag of Papua New Guinea is officially since 1 July 1971 in use, even before the country gained independence in 1975.
Description and significance
The national flag shows parts of the old coat of arms of the two former colonies, of which Papua New Guinea has emerged - German New Guinea and the Australian Papua.
By a diagonal split, the flag shows in the upper right triangle on a red field the national bird of the German colony, a bird of paradise - in honor of the explorer of the island, the German ornithologist Otto Finsch, who also helped in the German seizure.
The lower left panel shows on a black background the constellation of the Southern Cross, as it is depicted on the flag of Australia.
History
In the German colony of German New Guinea, which today forms the north of Papua New Guinea, the tricolor of the German Empire was used. 1914, there were plans for its own flag of the German colony. But they were never introduced due to the First World War. The flag of the active from 1884 German New Guinea Company showed on a white field in the upper left corner of the Reich colors, while at the flying end of the flag, a black, heraldic lion holding a red Bourbon lily in the clutches. From the population of this lily but was misunderstood as a bloody bone.
With loss of the colony to Australia, the Australian flag was the valid symbol in the colony.
- New Guinea
? German Empire in New Guinea, 1899-1914
? Flag design for German New Guinea, 1914
? Australian Territory of New Guinea, 1914-1949
The south-east of New Guinea in 1883 as British New Guinea colony. The colonial flag up to the usual style. A Blue Ensign with a white disk on a crown and the letters for the colony TNG rested. 1901, the territory of Australia was subordinated. The flag was used until 1906, possibly until the area in the territory of Papua has been renamed. Now standing on the flag of Papua.
- Papuan
? Australian Territory of Papua, 1906-1949
? Governor of Papua, 1906-1949
The two territories were united in 1949 to Papua New Guinea, however, still under Australian administration. Uses was now in both zones, the flag of Australia.
The first own flag for Papua and New Guinea was a so-called sports flag, which has been used since 1962 and in competitions in Oceania was used. National flag was at this time the Australian flag. In bright green cloth The sports flag showed a leech to offset toward white bird of paradise.
From the year 1964, the introduction of its own national flag was then discussed in public. A commission specially used advocated a blue -yellow-green vertical striped tricolor with a white Southern Cross in the front and a white bird of paradise in the back strip. The committee traveled around with the draft proposals in the country, but met with little interest in an American flag design.
- Papua New Guinea
? Australian Trust Territory of Papua and New Guinea, 1965-1970
? Australian Trust Territory of Papua and New Guinea, 1970-1971
After heated debates in the Parliament of the competition design a student of a Catholic mission high school named Susan Hareho Karike was born on March 4, 1971 be accepted and officially launched on 1 July 1971. Susan Hareho Karike had the red and black color chosen because they play an important role in the local art.