National Flag of the Republic of Fiji (1970)

The Pacific island nation of Fiji was a British colony from 1874, until independence was achieved on the 10th of October 1970. On the same day the current national flag was adopted.

The current flag is very similar in design to the one used prior to independence and was selected as a result of a competition held at that time. 

The flag flown before independence was dark blue, featuring the Union Flag or Union Jack in the upper hoist and incorporating the full Fijian coat of arms on the fly, not the abbreviated shield as seen on the current flag. 

One of the reasons for the light blue field was to distinguish the Fijian flag from the flags of the neighbouring British Commonwealth countries.

The Symbolic Meaning

Like many countries in the British Commonwealth, Fiji maintains the Union Jack in the upper hoist, symbolizing the country's historical link to Great Britain. The light blue field represents the Pacific Ocean, which surrounds the island nation.

The shield forms part of the larger Fijian coat of arms and was granted on the 4th of July 1908. Two elements of the shield relate to Fiji's colonial past, the golden lion holding a coconut, which represents Britain and the red cross of St George of England in the middle of the shield.

The cross of St George dissects the shield into quarters, three quarters have representations of local agricultural produce, sugarcane, coconut palm and bananas and the fourth contains a flying dove grasping a branch, symbolising peace and the former Kingdom of Fiji (1871-1874).