Country flag
Papua New Guinea Flag
Papua New Guinea’s national flag pairs a yellow bird-of-paradise with five white stars across red and black fields. A Department of Education guide iden...
Where is Papua New Guinea?
The highlighted area marks the country on the world map.
About Papua New Guinea and its flag
Papua New Guinea’s national flag pairs a yellow bird-of-paradise with five white stars across red and black fields. A Department of Education guide identifies red, black and yellow as traditional Papua New Guinean colours, and explains that national symbols identify the country to other nations.
Flag design and meaning
A diagonal separates a red upper section, bearing a yellow bird-of-paradise, from a black lower section, bearing five white stars arranged as the Southern Cross. The conspicuous bird-and-constellation pairing and the red-and-black division distinguish it quickly from flags based on stripes or a central badge.
- Yellow bird-of-paradise: The Department of Education guide explains the soaring bird and its trailing plumes as symbolising Papua New Guinea’s emergence into nationhood.
- Five white stars of the Southern Cross: The guide says the Southern Cross signifies Papua New Guinea’s historical relationship with Australia and friendship with other South Pacific nations.
- Red, black and yellow colours: The guide identifies these as traditional Papua New Guinean colours.
History and adoption
The Department of Education says the flag was formally adopted in 1971 and names Susan Karike, then a 15-year-old student from Gulf Province, as its designer. The 1975 Constitution continued the national flag already in use immediately before Independence Day unless Parliament made other provision, rather than presenting independence as a replacement adoption.
How to recognise this flag
- Look for a large yellow bird flying across a red field; it is the quickest identifier.
- The black lower field carries five white stars in the uneven Southern Cross pattern, rather than a single star or a ring.
- The red-and-black diagonal split gives the flag a strong two-field composition with no coat of arms or text.
Papua New Guinea flag quiz context
On Name The Flag, the Papua New Guinea flag is currently grouped as hard difficulty for quiz progression.
Its region is listed as Oceania, which helps place the country among nearby geography questions in the game.
Explore more country flags
Compare Papua New Guinea with other flags from the quiz.
