Flag of the Kingdom of Tonga
Description
- Red field with a white rectangle in the upper hoist canton containing a red couped (Greek) cross
- Adopted on 4 November 1875 under the Tongan Constitution proclaimed by King George Tupou I
Trivia
- Tonga is the only Pacific Island nation that was never formally colonised, though it was a British-protected state from 1900 to 1970
- The constitution of 1875 mandates that the flag can never be changed, making it one of the most legally entrenched national symbols
- The cross reflects the Christian foundation that King George Tupou I wove into the constitutional monarchy
Flag of Tonga
Tonga's flag was adopted on 4 November 1875 under the constitution proclaimed by King George Tupou I. The Tongan Constitution explicitly states that the flag can never be changed, making it one of the most legally entrenched national symbols in the world.
The design features a red field with a white rectangle in the upper hoist canton, and within the canton a red couped (Greek) cross. The red colour represents the blood of Christ shed on the cross, and the white stands for purity — both a clear expression of the Christian foundation that King George Tupou I wrote into the constitution. Tonga is the only Pacific Island nation that was never formally colonised, though it was a British-protected state from 1900 until 1970.
json:data
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"index": "c/tonga",
"title": "Flag of the Kingdom of Tonga",
"ratio": "1:2",
"colors": [
{
"color": "red",
"hex": "#C10000",
"note": "Represents the blood of Christ shed on the cross"
},
{
"color": "white",
"hex": "#FFFFFF",
"note": "The canton and the couped cross representing purity"
}
],
"desc": "- Red field with a white rectangle in the upper hoist canton containing a red couped (Greek) cross\n - Adopted on 4 November 1875 under the Tongan Constitution proclaimed by King George Tupou I\n",
"article": "tonga/flag.md",
"use": {
"as": "national flag",
"since": "1875-11-04"
},
"of": {
"country": "tonga"
},
"countryData": {
"name": "Tonga",
"officialName": "Kingdom of Tonga",
"continent": "oceania",
"location": "Polynesia, South Pacific",
"un": "member"
},
"trivia": "- Tonga is the only Pacific Island nation that was never formally colonised, though it was a British-protected state from 1900 to 1970\n - The constitution of 1875 mandates that the flag can never be changed, making it one of the most legally entrenched national symbols\n - The cross reflects the Christian foundation that King George Tupou I wove into the constitutional monarchy\n",
"flag": "tonga/flag.svg",
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"_namespace": "tonga",
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