Flag of Samoa

Flag of Samoa
Vexillological symbol :	?
Aspect ratio:	1: 2
Officially accepted:	February 24, 1949

The current flag of Samoa was officially introduced on February 24, 1949.

description

The colors are interpreted as follows:

• Red stands for courage
• White symbolizes purity
• Blue stands for freedom

The constellation of the Southern Cross indicates the ties Samoa has to other states in the region, such as Australia and New Zealand , which also have the constellation in their flags.

history

The kingdom of Western Samoa , which was independent in the 19th century , carried flags with red and white colors before colonial rule. A source reports a red flag with a white crescent and five-pointed star similar to the current flag of Turkey for the period from 1858 to 1873 . However, since no Islamic influence on the islands is known at this time, it is assumed that it comes from Polynesian symbolism.

In 1900 Western Samoa became a German colony under the name Deutsch-Samoa under the flag of the German Empire . The design of its own colonial flag from 1914 with three palm trees as a symbol for Samoa was never implemented due to the outbreak of the First World War .

New Zealand occupied the German colony in 1914 and took over administration of the islands. On July 30, 1922, the islands received a Blue Ensign for use on land and a Red Ensign for use at sea. The three palm trees again served as a symbol of Samoa.

In preparation for independence, Western Samoa received a new flag in 1948, designed by traditional rulers Tupua Tamasese Mea'ole and Malietoa Tanumafili II . In contrast to today's flag, it only had four stars for the Southern Cross , corresponding to the flag of New Zealand . On February 24, 1949, another star modeled on the flag of Australia was added.

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  ^? Flag of the Kingdom of Samoa (1858 to 1873)

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  ^? Flag of the Kingdom of Samoa (1875 to 1900)

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  ^? Flag of the German Empire (1900 to 1914)

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  ^? Design for the colonial flag of German Samoa 1914

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  ^? Flag of New Zealand during the 1914-1922 occupation

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  ^? Blue Ensign West Samoa (1922-1948)

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  ^? Western Samoa (1948 to 1949)

similarities

The flag of Samoa bears great resemblance to the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and, until 2010, the flag of Myanmar for no cultural or historical reason.

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  Flag of the Republic of China

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  Flag of Myanmar until 2010

literature

• Karl-Heinz Hesmer: Flags and coats of arms of the world. History and symbolism of the flags and coats of arms of all states . Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh 1992, ISBN 3-570-01082-1 .
• Smith / Neubecker: coats of arms and flags of all nations . Munich 1980, ISBN 3-87045-183-1 .

Web links

Commons : Flags of Samoas  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Flags of the World - Samoa ( English )