FLAG OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY

The flag of the Marshall Islands is the national flag of this island republic located in Micronesia. It is a blue field flag, with two diagonal stripes of orange and white. In the canton a white star with four long rays and twenty-two short rays is exhibited. It is the national symbol since the country's self-government in 1979.

The Marshall Islands are a young state and that is reflected in the history of their flags. Although the territory was initially under Spanish influence, it later became a German colony. During that period the islands were identified with German symbols until World War II.

Flag of the Marshall Islands. (No machine-readable author provided. SKopp assumed (based on copyright claims).).

After the Japanese invasion, the Marshall Islands belonged to the UN Trust Treaty of the Pacific Islands, administered by the United States. Its symbols then were those of the American country and those of the UN.

The flag represents the geographical position of the island. The star identifies the archipelago located in the northern hemisphere. Its rays are the 24 electoral districts and the 4 main population centers. White represents sunrise and orange sunset, but also peace and courage, respectively.

History of the flag

The history of the Marshall Islands and its flags is marked by the power that occupied those islands. The territory, although in principle inhabited by aborigines, has been completely determined based on which European country colonized it. The history of its flags began with the help of European sailors who arrived on the islands.

Spanish domain

The first contacts of Europeans with the Marshall Islands came from Spanish explorers. Alonso de Salazar was a Spanish explorer who arrived on the islands in 1526, calling the archipelago Los Pintados.

The territory was not colonized, but it was administered from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, with its capital in Mexico City. Later he belonged to the Captaincy General of the Philippines, after the independence of Mexico in 1821 and the dissolution of that viceroyalty.

Spanish flag

From 1785, King Carlos III established new symbols for Spain. In this way, the colors red and yellow came to identify this European kingdom in naval vessels.

The Spanish flag had two horizontal minor stripes at the ends, while the rest of the field is yellow. In addition, it included the simplified shield of the country.

Naval flag and national flag of Spain (1785-1873) (1875-1931). (By previous version User: Ignaciogavira; current version HansenBCN, designs from SanchoPanzaXXI, via Wikimedia Commons).

German protectorate

The islands, although they belonged to the area of Spanish influence, were not claimed or occupied as such. This archipelago was considered part of the Carolinas. Other explorers, such as the British John Marshall, visited the islands in 1788, later establishing British and German trading posts without questioning Spanish sovereignty.

The first official Spanish territorial claim arrived in 1874, as the Spanish Empire included them in the Spanish East Indies as a response to the German colonial advance. In 1885 there was a naval conflict between the Spanish and German navies. That same year and after a papal mediation, the Hispano-Germanic Protocol was signed in Rome.

This new agreement established a German protectorate for the islands, respecting internal tribal authorities, but maintaining German rule. The flag that was used during this period consisted of a flag of six horizontal stripes of equal size, interspersing the colors blue and white, with red in the central stripe.

This symbol was predominant in the Ralik Islands, part of the present country, after the signing of a German friendship treaty with the local Ralik tribal chiefs. The flag included the colors of the German Empire.

Flag of the Ralik Islands during the German protectorate. (1878-1894). (This vector image was created with Inkscape by Fornax, and then manually edited.).

German colonization

The Spanish Empire lost all its non-African possessions after the Spanish-American War of 1898, among which was the Philippines. The consummation of the loss of these islands was specified in the Hispano-Germanic Treaty of 1899, in which the sale of the Carolinas, Palau and the Marianas was agreed.

From that moment on, the Marshall Islands came under the authority of German New Guinea. The largest European presence during this period on the islands was from Catholic missionaries, who studied Aboriginal populations.

The Germans used a specific flag to identify their colonies. This represented the Imperial Colonial Office and the difference with the national flag is that it included a circle in the center with the coat of arms, represented by the eagle.

Flag of the German Imperial Office (1892–1918). (David Liuzzo, from Wikimedia Commons (see proposals)).

World War I ended the German Empire and all of its colonies. However, in 1914, prior to this event, the colonial administration proposed new flags for the colonies. That of New Guinea, which had a bird as its symbol, was never applied.

Proposed flag for German New Guinea. (1914). (Fornax).

Japanese mandate

In 1914, during World War I, the Japanese Empire began to occupy the Marshall Islands. The partition of all the German colonies in the world was carried out after the German defeat in the war. While in Africa they were mainly taken over by the British and French, in Oceania the Japanese took the lead.

The Council of the League of Nations approved the Mandate of the South Pacific in 1920, which was left in Japanese hands. The Japanese thus extended their empire, colonizing the islands with more than a thousand of its inhabitants.

Furthermore, they tried to change the tribal structure of the island, without success. The teaching of Japanese in schools was also applied. Although Japan lost the League of Nations mandate in 1933, it continued to maintain it in practice.

The Japanese flag has been the Hinomaru, which consists of a white cloth with a red circle in the center, emulating the sun. This was also raised in the Marshall Islands.

Flag of Japan (Hinomaru). (By Various, via Wikimedia Commons).

However, the South Pacific Mandate also had its own flag. This was white and included a shield in black silhouette in the central part. Two branches surrounded a star with a Japanese aesthetic.

Japan's South Pacific Mandate Flag. (1919-1947). (Samhanin).

United Nations American Trust

World War II changed the map of the world, and that situation was not exceptional in the Marshall Islands. Japan was the occupying power of much of Asia and belonged to the Axis Powers, for which it was the object of attack by the Allies.

The United States invaded and occupied the islands in 1944, destroying the Japanese garrisons and taking control of the territory in just under three months. The invasion resulted in numerous Japanese casualties and damage to the island's infrastructure.

At the end of the war, the colonial situation did not change. The United Nations, heir to the League of Nations, created the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947, following Security Council resolution number 21. This territory also included Palau, the Northern Marianas and Micronesia..

The flag of the United Nations Organization was one of those used in the territory, especially in the early years.

Flag of the United Nations. (Wilfried Huss / Anonymous, via Wikimedia Commons).

American flags

The United States of America, as the executing power of the trust, also flew its flags in the territory of the Marshall Islands. First, the flag approved in 1912, with 48 stars, was used.

Flag of the United States (1912-1959). (No machine-readable author provided. Jacobolus assumed (based on copyright claims), via Wikimedia Commons.)

In 1959 the state of Alaska was admitted to the union, before which the flag changed to 49 stars.

Flag of the United States (1959-1960). (Gunter Küchler / Berlin, via Wikimedia Commons).

Finally, in 1960 the state of Hawaii, archipelago of the Pacific, was incorporated into the United States. Since then the flag with 50 stars has been used.

United States flag. (Dbenbenn, Zscout370, Jacobolus, Indolences, Technion., Via Wikimedia Commons).

Trust Flag

The trust had a main flag. It was a light blue flag with six stars arranged in a shape close to the circle. These represented the Marianas, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Palau, and the Marshall Islands.

The design was the work of Gonzalo Santos, a government employee of Yap and was approved from 1962, until it became official on August 19, 1965.

Flag of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands to the United States. (1965-1994). (Dbenbenn).

Independence

On May 1, 1979, the Government of the Marshall Islands was officially established, beginning to rule a situation of self-government. At this moment, the flag of the Marshall Islands, designed by Emlain Kabua, then first lady of the country, began to fly in the skies of the country.

In 1986, the Free Association Agreement with the United States came into force, relegating many defense functions in this country. However, the independence of the Republic of the Marshall Islands occurred in 1990, following the termination of the American trust. The new country kept the same flag, which has not been changed to date.

Meaning of the flag

Most of the contemporary flags have acquired deep meanings in relation to the territory. The flag of the Marshall Islands does not escape this, since the dark blue of the background represents the Pacific Ocean. White represents the Ratak island chain and sunrise, while orange represents the Ralik Islands and sunset.

Also, the color orange is identified with courage, while white is peace. The star can be identified with Christianity. Each of its 24 rays represents one of the municipal districts of the country. The four long rays that stand out are those that symbolize the most important populated centers: Majuro, Ebeye, Jaluit and Wotje.

The diagonal stripe may represent the equator. In this case, the star located in the canton would represent the position of the Marshall Islands, north of the imaginary line that marks the middle of the world.

References

Hezel, FX (1994). The first taint of civilization: a history of the Caroline and Marshall Islands in pre-colonial days, 1521-1885 (Vol. 1). University of Hawaii Press.
Julianne, M. (2012). Etto nan raan kein: A Marshall Islands history. Recovered from dsmartsinema.com.
Office of the President. (sf). RMI Flag. Office of the President of the Republic of Marshall Islands. Recovered from rmigovernment.org.
Smith, W. (2013). Flag of Marshall Islands. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Recovered from britannica.com.
Spennemann, D. (2000). Flags used in the Marshall Islands. Marshalls. Digital Micronesia. Recovered from marshall.csu.edu.au.

FLAG OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025