National Flag of Pitcairn Island

Situated in the south-central Pacific Ocean, Pitcairn Island, originally called Pitcairn’s Island, is a dependency of Great Britain and was named after the son of Major Pitcairn, a marine on board HMS Swallow, who first sighted the island in 1767.

In 1790, the mutineers of HMS Bounty and their Tahitian companions settled Pitcairn Island after sailing the Pacific Ocean looking for a safe haven.

The Pitcairn Island flag is based on the British Blue Ensign and bears the island's coat of arms in the fly. 

The arms were granted by Royal Warrant on the 4th of November 1969 and reflect the island's historical link to the Bounty mutineers. 

The current Pitcairn Island flag was adopted on the 2nd of April 1984.

The Symbolic Meaning

The British Blue Ensign, incorporating the Union Flag or Union Jack in the hoist, indicates Pitcairn Island’s historical association with Great Britain. 

The shield of the island's coat of arms features the anchor and bible from HMS Bounty. 

The anchor represents the island’s maritime history and the bible symbolises the island’s Christian heritage and the religious community that evolved from it. 

The divided shield symbolises the island (green) rising out of the Pacific Ocean (blue).

Surmounting the shield is a helmet crested with a Pitcairn Island wheelbarrow carrying a flowering slip of miro (a local plant). The wheelbarrow and plant symbolise the island's agriculture.