The flag consists of two red horizontal bands which encase a wide white band. The bands are at a fixed width ratio of 1:2:1. In the center of the white band is a blue and white disk with a blue and white wave pattern which depicts the sea on the lower half and a gold and white ray pattern which depicts on the upper half. There is a Polynesian canoe riding on the wave pattern. The canoe has a crew of five, represented by five stars. The five stars are meant to symbolize the five island groups (The Bass Islands are generally grouped with the Austral Islands even though they are geographically distinct and separate from the main Austral archipelago.
It is claimed that red and white are traditional Polynesian colors although the source of this claim is unclear.
It is interesting to note that each of the five main island groups has its own flag.
The Bass Islands do not have a flag of their own as, again, they are grouped with the Austral Islands. However, the Austral Island flag has only five stars to denote the five atolls in the main group, ignoring the two additional atolls contributed by the Bass Islands. Perhaps the 530 people who live on the one inhabited atoll don’t mind this lack of representation.
The flag of French Polynesia remains, I suspect, a relatively unknown world flag. The official flag of French Polynesia for most international purposes, for shipping for example, remains the traditional French tricolor, so there is little occasion to see the French Polynesian flag outside of the islands themselves. And yet, I suspect that the citizens of French Polynesia are justifiably proud of their unique and special flag.
In our next installment we visit an incredibly remote French territory, the only “territory” in all of Overseas France, that has a limited and seasonal population. Any guesses as to where and what it is?