The flag was introduced on 30th of July in 1980 on the occasion of the independence of the country. It is a design by the artist Rick Fraser, inspired by Kalontas Malons from Emau Island. The colours are based on the flag of the Vanuatu Party.
It shows two horizontal stripes in red and green, separated by a narrow black stripe connected by a black isosceles triangle on the mast with a yellow 'Y' inside. In the centre of the black triangle is a golden emblem consisting of a boar's tusk and two crossed Namele fern fronds (Phoenix sylvestris).
The boar's tusk stands for prosperity and the fern fronds for peace. The thirty-nine leaves on both fern fronds represent the members of parliament.
The colour black stands for the people, volcanism and the resulting fertile soil of the land. The colour red stands for the common blood of the inhabitants and the resulting unity of the people. It also stands for the blood of the boars as sacrificial animals, for strength and tradition. The colour green stands for the lush vegetation of the islands. Yellow symbolises peace and the Christian faith, which brings light into the darkness. The 'Y' symbolises the geographical distribution of the islands in the Pacific. The colours of the flag appear to be defined: Green = Pantone 347 C, Red = Pantone 186 C and Yellow = Pantone 116 C, however, this is not certain, nor are the aspect ratios of the flag. They are supposed to be 19:36, but in practice 3:5 and 2:3 are used.
In colonial times, the islands were disputed between United Kingdom and France. During the period of joint administration (1889–1906) the flag of the Anglo-French Commission was used. From 1906, the islands became a condominium, meaning they were managed together, but with parallel structures that were separate from each other. The French authorities had no special official flags and used the French tricolor, the British authorities used the usual Blue Ensign. United Kingdom had introduced a flag system in 1864 in which: • War ships use a so-called "White Ensign" (naval flag), a white flag often with a red St. George's cross throughout and with the Union Jack in the upper corner, • Merchant ships use a so-called "Red Ensign" (also called "Civil Ensign" → citizen flag, the actual merchant flag), a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper corner, and • Governmental ships use a "Blue Ensign" (flag of the government → the actual state flag), a blue flag with the Union Jack in the upper orner.
Since 1865, colonial government ships were permitted to use a Blue Ensign with a badge in the flying end. From this point on, only the British Union Jack was to be used for all other purposes on land and the usual red British merchant flag, the "Red Ensign", at sea. This was binding for the British administration from 1906, but was also binding for the French administration, where the French flag was used. If the British Admiralty had granted the appropriate permission to one colony, merchant ships and private sailors from this colony were allowed to use a Red Ensign with the Bagde. This was not the case for the Nwe Hebrides. The respective governments should provide the appropriate bagdes. Such a badge was often a regional landscape representation placed on a disk, often showed ships, historical events or could just be a kind of logo. Very often a badge also showed the name of the country or a motto. However, some possessions had a coat of arms right from the start, or received their own coat of arms over the years and the badge was abolished. In order to ensure a largely uniform appearance in the flying end of the flags, coats of arms and other symbols were displayed on a white disk the same size as the earlier badges. But there were exceptions here, as some colonies did not use this white disk and placed their coat of arms or just the shield – sometimes enlarged – directly on the flag cloth. As early as the 1940s, the white discs were removed and the coat of arms was placed directly or enlarged. This transition process occurred gradually, never simultaneously and completely. In some British possessions flags with the white disc are still in use, in others they are no longer used and in some areas both variants exist side by side.
The first badge of the New Hebrides was introduced in 1906, and was used by the British administration within a white disc in the flying end of a British Blue Ensign. This badge featured a Tudor crown and a circular inscription: "New Hebrides". In 1953, the Tudor crown was replaced by the usual British crown. There was no common, official symbolism for the New Hebrides, either British or French. However, at some international sporting events the New Hebrides were represented with an own flag, which combined French and British symbolism in a variety of ways. However, that did not have an official character.
The naval flag of Vanuatu is solid white and features the country's flag in the upper corner. Actually it is the police flag at sea, as Vanuatu only has a police force and police reserves and no regular army. After all, the country follows in this way the guidelines of the British flag system from 1864.
The coat of arms of the state shows a standing warrior with a spear in front of a mountain, crossed fronds and a tusk of a boar. Beneath a golden banner with the motto of the country in Bislama (pidgin English): "Long God yumi stanap" → "To God we raise ourselves". Another translation reads: "We stand together with God". The coat of arms was – like the flag – designed by Rick Fraser.
ca. 2000 v.Chr. · first settlement by Melanesians from the island of New Guinea
30th of April in 1606 · the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós, who sailed on behalf of Spain, discoveres the islands and calles them "Terra Austrialis del Espiritu Santo" and took possession of them for Spain
23rd of May in 1768 · rediscovery by the French researcher Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, who calls the islands "Great Cyclades"
17th of July in 1774 · the British navigator and explorer James Cook visits the islands and calls them the "New Hebrides"
1839 · beginning of European settlement
1853 · France tries to annex the islands from New Caledonia, after protests by the British settlers, United Kingdom objects, and the French officials and soldiers are withdrawn
1878 · the islands are declared neutral territory by United Kingdom and France
16th of October 1887 · the islands are placed under the administration of a joint Anglo-French Commission
1893 · the British settlers, who have virtually no organized government on the islands, are subordinated to the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific (Governor of Fiji)
1900 · the French settlers are subordinated to the governor of New Caledonia
1901 · the Governor of New Caledonia is appointed "General Commissioner of France in the Pacific"
20th of October in 1906 · Creation of an Anglo-French condominium (joint administration with separate parallel structures New Hebrides / Nouvelles-Hébrides), with the British administration under the British Western Pacific Territories
1940–1945 · Second World War: the French administration subordinates itself to "Free France", the islands of Éfaté and Espiritu Santo are Allied military bases from 1942 to 1946
1965 · the disputed Matthew and Hunter Islands are recognized as belonging to New Caledonia
1975 · the Matthew and Hunter Islands are annexed to New Caledonia
1974–1980 · various separations of individual islands (1974 Tanna, 1980 "Tafea", 1980 Espiritu Santo as Republic of Vemerana, 1980 Malakula Iceland as N'Makiaute)
1982 · Vanuatu disputes French sovereignty over the Matthew and Hunter Islands (now called the Unaeneag and Umaenupane Islands) and their annexation to New Caledonia in 1975
The name "Vanuatu" is of Melanesian origin and means "land that rises from the sea". The archipelago was formerly called "New Hebrides". The name was given to the islands by the British navigator and researcher James Cook.
