Marshall Islands Flag

Description

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country and a United States-associated state near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia. The country’s population of 58,413 people (at the 2018 World Bank Census) is spread out over 29 coral atolls, comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets. The capital and largest city is Majuro. The islands share maritime boundaries with the Federated States of Micronesia to the west, Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, and Nauru to the south. About 52.3% of Marshall Islanders (27,797 at the 2011 Census) live in Majuro. Data from the United Nations indicates an estimated population in 2018 of 58,413. In 2016, 73.3% of the population was defined as being “urban”. The UN also indicates a population density of 295 per km2 (765 people per mi2) and its projected 2020 population is 53,263.

The flag of the Marshall Islands, an island nation in the Pacific, was adopted upon the start of self-government, on May 1, 1979. The flag was designed by Emlain Kabua, who served as the first First Lady of the republic. The Marshall Islands were part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands administered by the United States, from which the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia split. In common with other island nations in the region, this flag features the symbolic representation of the islands’ place within the ocean. The rising diagonal band represents the equator, and the star above represents this Northern Hemisphere archipelago. The white and orange portions of the band represent, respectively, the Ratak Chain (“sunrise”) and the Ralik Chain (“sunset”), as well as symbolising peace and courage. The sun’s 24 points represent the number of electoral districts, while the four elongated points represent the principal cultural centres of Majuro, Jaluit, Wotje and Ebeye. The flag is also the national flag with the most points on a star, at 24.