Blue and Light Blue Flags

Which countries have dark and light blue flags?

• Fiji: a light blue field with the Union Jack in the corner and the national shield on the right. The dark blue appears in the Union Jack and the shield.
• Tuvalu: also light blue with a Union Jack canton, but with nine yellow stars on the right that mark the nine islands.
• Northern Mariana Islands: a deep blue field with a white star on a gray latte stone, ringed by a wreath of flowers.
• Montserrat: a blue ensign with the territory's coat of arms on the right.

Fiji and Tuvalu are the easiest to confuse. Count the details on the right-hand side: Fiji has a single shield with a lion, sugar cane, palm tree, dove and cocoa pods, while Tuvalu has nine yellow stars spread over the field.

The Northern Mariana Islands stand apart because they have no Union Jack. Fiji, Tuvalu and Montserrat all keep one, a legacy of British rule.

Why do these flags use two blues?

Light blue is the color of the open Pacific, and dark blue often comes from British heritage. Many former or current British territories fly a blue ensign, a dark blue flag with the Union Jack in the corner. Fiji and Tuvalu lightened the field to a sky blue, which sets them apart from the ensigns used by territories such as Montserrat.

Fiji kept its Union Jack and light blue after independence in 1970, and Tuvalu adopted its current flag in 1997 after a short period without the Union Jack. For Pacific nations, blue also stands for the ocean that surrounds and links the islands.

For a wider view of the region, see the flags of Oceania.