Oceania · NC / NCL
Flag of New Caledonia
New Caledonia uses two flags side by side: the French tricolour and the Kanak flag, a horizontal triband of blue, red and green with a yellow disc. The two have been flown together since 2010.
What the flag of New Caledonia looks like
The Kanak flag has three horizontal bands of equal height: blue at the top, red in the middle and green at the bottom. A large yellow disc, centered one third of the way from the hoist and two thirds of the flag's height across, overlaps the three bands, and it is sometimes drawn with a black outline. On the disc is a black flèche faîtière, a kind of spire that adorns the roofs of Kanak houses, thrust through tutut shells.
It is flown with the flag of France: three vertical bands of blue, white and red. The French flag is the national flag, and the Kanak flag is the flag of the FLNKS, a Kanak party favoring independence. Most, but not all, New Caledonian communes now fly both. The flag is also shown as an emoji on the New Caledonia flag emoji page.
New Caledonia flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#0035ADRGB
0, 53, 173CMYK
100, 69, 0, 32HEX
#009543RGB
0, 149, 67CMYK
100, 0, 55, 42HEX
#ED4135RGB
237, 65, 53CMYK
0, 73, 78, 7HEX
#FAE600RGB
250, 230, 0CMYK
0, 8, 100, 2HEX
#010100RGB
1, 1, 0CMYK
0, 0, 100, 100New Caledonia flag meaning and symbolism
The Kanak flag carries the colors and ideas of the independence movement. Blue stands for the sky and the Pacific Ocean. Red stands for the blood shed by the Kanaks in their struggle for independence, and for socialism and unity. Green stands for the land itself and, by extension, the ancestors buried in it. The yellow disc is the sun, and the black symbol on it is the flèche faîtière thrust through tutut shells.
The French tricolour is the flag of the French state, of which New Caledonia is part. Using both flags remains a sensitive question, and not everyone in the territory agrees with it.
History of the flags of New Caledonia
France took possession of New Caledonia in 1853 and ran it first as a colony and a penal settlement. The French tricolour was the only official flag until 2010. The FLNKS, the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, adopted the flag now known as the Kanak flag in 1980 as its banner for independence. For many years it was a political flag, and its display was highly controversial.
The 1998 Nouméa Accord provided for the gradual recognition of identity signs for the territory, including a flag. In July 2010 the territory's Congress voted a non-binding wish that both flags be flown together, and on 17 July 2010 French Prime Minister François Fillon took part in a ceremony in Nouméa where the Kanak flag was hoisted beside the tricolour. No agreement on an official territorial flag has been reached. In three referendums (2018, 2020 and 2021) voters chose to remain part of France, but the question of the future status remains under discussion. New Caledonia also has provincial flags used by each of its three provinces. For more on the French flag, see the flag of France.
New Caledonia flag facts
| Country | New Caledonia |
|---|---|
| Flag adopted | 2010 |
| Proportions | 1:2 |
| Colors | #0035AD, #009543, #ED4135, #FAE600, #010100 |
| Flag emoji | 🇳🇨 |
| Country code | NC, NCL (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Nouméa |
| Continent | Oceania |
| Population | 278,500 |
| Area | 18,576 km² |
| Currency | CFP Franc |
| National anthem | Soyons unis, devenons frères |
New Caledonia flag: frequently asked questions
Does New Caledonia have two flags?
Yes. Since 2010 the French tricolour and the blue, red and green Kanak flag are flown together in much of the territory. The first is the national flag, and the second is the flag of the FLNKS, a Kanak independence party.
Is New Caledonia a country?
It is not an independent country. It is a special collectivity of France with its own government and a high degree of autonomy. Voters rejected independence in referendums in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
What do the colors of the Kanak flag mean?
Blue stands for the sky and the Pacific Ocean, red for the blood shed in the struggle for independence and for unity, green for the land and ancestors, and the yellow disc for the sun.
What is the symbol on the New Caledonia flag?
The black symbol on the yellow sun disc of the Kanak flag is a flèche faitière, an arrow ornament that decorates the roofs of Kanak houses, shown thrust through tutut shells.
What was the flag of New Caledonia before 2010?
Until 2010 the French tricolour was the only official flag used to represent New Caledonia. In July 2010 the Congress voted a non-binding wish to fly the Kanak flag beside it.
What is the New Caledonia flag emoji?
The New Caledonia flag emoji is 🇳🇨, built from the regional indicator letters N and C. On many devices it shows the blue, red and green Kanak flag with a yellow disc, and Windows may display just the letters NC.
