Flag of the Pitcairn Islands
Encyclopedia
Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands , officially named the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, form a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Pacific...
was adopted on April 2, 1984.
Flag features
It is a Blue EnsignBlue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....
, with the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
in the canton and the coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands
Coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands
The coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands were first adopted on November 4, 1969.-Features:The arms feature a shield depicting the anchor and Bible from HMS Bounty. This represents the ancestral history of the islanders, most of whom are descended from the sailors who mutinied on the Bounty in 1789...
in the fly.
The arms feature the anchor and bible from HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty
HMS Bounty , famous as the scene of the Mutiny on the Bounty on 28 April 1789, was originally a three-masted cargo ship, the Bethia, purchased by the British Admiralty, then modified and commissioned as His Majesty's Armed Vessel the...
with a slip of miro
Portia tree
Thespesia populnea, commonly known as the Portia Tree , is species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a small tree or arborescent shrub that has a pantropical distribution, found on coasts around the world. However, the Portia Tree is probably native only to the Old World,...
(a local plant) and a wheelbarrow.
Historical context
The design represents the ancestral history of the islanders, most of whom are descended from the sailors who mutinied on the Bounty in 1789.Flag of Governor
Governor of the Pitcairn Islands
The Governor of the Pitcairn Islands is the representative of the British crown in the Pitcairn Islands, which are the last remaining British territory in the Pacific Ocean...
maintains a separate flag. This flag of the Governor consists of the Union Flag defaced
Defacement (flag)
Defacement is a term used in heraldry and vexillology to refer to the addition of a symbol or charge to another flag. For example, the Australian flag is the British Blue Ensign defaced with the Southern Cross in the fly and the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter, beneath the Union...
with the coat of arms.
See also
- List of flags of the United Kingdom
- Coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands#Flag of the Pitcairn Islands