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Flag of Saint Helena | |
Use | Civil and state flag, state ensign |
---|---|
Proportion | 1:2 |
Adopted | 1984 |
Design | A Blue Ensign with the coat-of-arms of Saint Helena in the outer half. |
The flag of Saint Helena consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the shield from the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1984 shortly after the island was granted a new coat of arms, it has been the flag since. Saint Helena's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.
Saint Helena was first sighted by João da Nova in May 1502. The East India Company (EIC) was later conferred a royal charter to govern the island in 1659. It briefly came under Dutch sovereignty in 1673, before becoming a crown colony for the duration of Napoleon's exile there from 1815 until his death in 1821. After reverting back to EIC control for thirteen years, it became a crown possession again in 1834. [1] [2]
Saint Helena was accorded its own badge in 1874 that was eventually utilised on its flag. [3] This consisted of a depiction of the territory's rocky coastline and an East Indiaman. [4] The badge was later redesigned in 1984, [5] [6] with the Saint Helena plover added to the upper portion. [4] Although this change was publicised in the island's government gazette in January of that year, [5] authorisation was only granted by the Admiralty a decade later in 1994. [7]
The territory's flag was also utilised as the official flag of Tristan da Cunha, as well as on Ascension Island in an unofficial capacity. [6] [8] This continued until the two islands adopted their own distinct flags in 2002 and 2013, respectively. [9] [10] Minor updates were made to the shield (and, by extension, the flag of Saint Helena) in April 2019, amid concerns that the illustration of the wirebird had become misrepresented. The island's government consequently invited the College of Arms in London to create an up-to-date painting of the coat of arms that could be digitally generated while remaining faithful to the colors prescribed in the 1984 Gazette. [5] Two years later, the territory's flag was hoisted at New Palace Yard in the Palace of Westminster on 21 May 2021, a public holiday on the island that honours the feast day of Helena of Constantinople. It was part of an effort by Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons at the time, to observe the ceremonial days of overseas territories. [11]
The colours and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The bird on the yellow field is a Saint Helena plover that epitomises the fauna of the territory. [6] [12] Popularly referred to by Saint Helenians as the wirebird, it is the last species of bird that is endemic to the island, [13] and is the official bird of Saint Helena. [14] [15] The Cross of Saint George flown from the three-masted sailing ship is a conspicuous symbol of the Kingdom of England, Saint Helena's mother country. [6] [12]
The Blue Ensign is also used on the flags of eight of the thirteen other British Overseas Territories, with their coats of arms in the fly being the lone distinguishing feature between them. These are, specifically, the flags of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. [16]
The standard of the territory's governor features the Union Jack defaced with the territorial coat of arms at the centre. [17] Ships registered in Saint Helena fly the Red Ensign, since there is no defaced variant for the island. [3]
Variant flag | Date | Usage |
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![]() | 1874–1985 | Standard of the Governor of Saint Helena |
![]() | 1985–1999 | Standard of the Governor of Saint Helena |
![]() | 2019– | Standard of the Governor of Saint Helena |
Saint Helena is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
The flag of Montserrat consists of a Blue Ensign with the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1960 to supplement the Union Jack after the dissolution of the British Leeward Islands the year before, it has been the flag of Montserrat since the territory was granted self-government that year. The design of the present flag entailed enlarging the coat of arms and outlining it with a white trim. Montserrat's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.
The flag of the Cayman Islands consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1959 to supplement the Union Jack and to replace the flag of the Colony of Jamaica, it has been the flag of the Cayman Islands since the territory was granted self-government that year. The design of the present flag entailed removing the white disc and outlining the coat of arms with a white trim, although the previous version is often used in an official capacity. The Cayman Islands' flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.
The Saint Helenapound is the currency of the Atlantic islands of Saint Helena and Ascension, which are constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It is fixed at parity with sterling, and so both currencies are commonly accepted and circulated within Saint Helena. It is subdivided into 100 pence.
The Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the monarch in Saint Helena, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The current governor of Saint Helena has been Nigel Phillips since 13 August 2022.
The flag of Tristan da Cunha was adopted on 20 October 2002, in a proclamation made by the Governor of Saint Helena under a Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth II.
The governor of Tristan de Cunha is the representative of the monarch in Tristan da Cunha, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the de facto head of state.
The coat of arms of Saint Helena, part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, was authorised on 30 January 1984.
The flag of Ascension Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, was adopted on 11 May 2013. The flag is a blue ensign design, defaced with the coat of arms of Ascension Island.
The Governor of Ascension is the representative of the monarch in Ascension Island, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. He is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government, his role is to act as the de facto head of state.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Saint Helena:
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tristan da Cunha:
This page list topics related to Ascension Island.
This gallery shows the coat of arms of each of the Dependent territories in the list of countries.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha. Its name was Saint Helena and Dependencies until 1 September 2009, when a new constitution came into force, giving the three islands equal status as three territories, with a grouping under the Crown.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory, does not have its own flag; however, the three administrative divisions do have their own flags:
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory, does not have its own coat of arms; instead, the three administrative regions have their own symbols, respectively, as discussed in the following articles:
The politics of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha operate under the jurisdiction of the government of the United Kingdom. The three parts of the territory—Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha—effectively form an asymmetric federacy and collectively constitute one of United Kingdom's fourteen overseas territories.
Cat Hill is a settlement on Ascension Island, an island which forms part of the British Overseas Territories.
St. Joseph Church is a Roman Catholic church in the town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas on the island of Tristan da Cunha, one of those that make up the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
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