The first flag of the Falkland Islands was adopted on 29 September 1948. It was a Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the coat-of-arms superimposed upon a white disc. In 1999, the size of the arms was increased and the white disc removed to create the current flag.
A Red Ensign with the Falklands coat of arms superimposed was adopted in 1998 and is used as the Islands' civil ensign. Previously the plain red ensign was used by ships in the territorial waters around the Falklands.
The Governor of the Falkland Islands uses a Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms.
Use of the flag
Since its approval the Falklands flag has been used continuously, excluding the time of occupation (2 April – 14 June 1982) during the Falklands War. In support of the Argentine claim of the Islands, the South American countries of UNASUR agreed in 2010 to bar from their ports any ships flying it. |
