Islands of Oceania: Flag of the Austral Islands

Flag of the Austral Islands

Austral Islands (Îles Australes) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean. There are 7 islands in the group (two of them are uninhabited). Total are of those islands is 148 km2 (57 sq mi) and the population is about 6,820 (2012).

Flag

The flag of the Austral Islands

The flag of the Austral Islands, in proportions 2:3, is vertically divided red-white-red (1:3:1) with a blue emblem in the white stripe. The emblem is made of a penu (a rock or piece of carved coral used to crush food or medicines, and symbolizes the archipelago), surrounded by five blue stars. The stars represent the five inhabited islands. The red stripes are a reminder that the archipelago is part of French Polynesia, and blue symbolizes the sea.

Coral penu from the Austral Islands

The former flag of the Austral Islands is horizontally divided yellow-red-white-green-blue with a vertical stripe placed along the hoist, covering 1/3 of the flag length and charged with the black writing ARCHIPEL / DES / ILES / AUSTRALES.