Flag of Antarctica

Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty

Antarctica has no official flag as the condominium that governs the continent has not yet formally selected one. Although the consultative members of the Antarctic Treaty System officially adopted an emblem in 2002 which is sometimes used as a flag, this emblem represents the Antarctic Treaty and not the continent itself.

Proposed designs

Dozens of unofficial designs have been proposed for a flag of Antarctica. With few exceptions, almost none are ever manufactured or flown.

White Flag of Antarctica

The British Australian (and) New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition flew an all-white flag from their ship Discovery when sailing to Antarctica in 1929. It was improvised as a courtesy flag for a continent without one of its own.

Whitney Smith's design.

Whitney Smith proposal

In 1978, famed vexillologist Whitney Smith proposed an orange flag with a white emblem in the hoist. The letter A stands for Antarctica, the semi-sphere represents the area below the Antarctic Circle, and the hands represent human protection of the environment. He chose orange for its visibility.

Graham Bartram proposal

Graham Bartram's design (2:3 proportion)

Unaware of previous proposals, Graham Bartram designed a proposal using the flag of the United Nations as its model. A plain white map of the continent on a blue background symbolizes neutrality. This flag was flown on the Antarctic continent in 2002 when Ted Kaye (then editor of Raven, the scholarly journal of the North American Vexillological Association) took several on an Antarctic cruise. On this trip, it flew at the Brazilian base Comandante Ferraz and the British museum at Port Lockroy. The Graham Bartram design is currently used for the "Flag for Antarctica" emoji on all supported platforms.

True South proposal

The True South design

A science support contractor stationed in Antarctica created True South during the austral winter of 2018. The flag has the following meaning:

Horizontal stripes of navy and white represent the long days and nights at Antarctica's extreme latitude. In the center, a lone white peak erupts from a field of snow and ice, echoing those of the bergs, mountains, and pressure ridges that define the Antarctic horizon. The long shadow it casts forms the unmistakable shape of a compass arrow pointed south, an homage to the continent's legacy of exploration. Together, the two center shapes create a diamond, symbolizing the hope that Antarctica will continue to be a center of peace, discovery, and cooperation for generations to come.

In 2020 the flag became commercially available from multiple manufacturers. During the austral summer of 2020-2021, it will fly in locations across Antarctica, including research stations, field camps, and expedition vessels. National Antarctic programs, businesses, and individuals across the world are also participating.

Territorial flags

The nations of the Antarctic Treaty use their own national flags at their respective Antarctic research bases. Some nations however have their own flags for their Antarctic possessions.

Argentine Antarctica

Tierra del Fuego flag

The Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego includes Argentine Antarctica (25 degrees W to 74 degrees W). The flag was adopted in 1999 as the result of a competition. It is a diagonal bicolor of sky blue and orange with an albatross in the center and the Southern Cross in the fly. The orange represents the fire in the province's name, Tierra del Fuego translating to "Land of Fire". The blue represents the sky and reflects the color of the national flag. The albatross symbolizes freedom.

British Antarctic Territory

Main articles: Flag of the British Antarctic Territory and Coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory

British Antarctic Territory Flag

The flag of the British Antarctic Territory is a plain White Ensign defaced by the coat of arms of the territory. Other British territories in the Antarctic region are the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which have their own flags (see Flag of the Falkland Islands and Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).

Chilean Antarctic Territory/Magallanes Region

Main article: Flag of Magallanes

Magallanes Region flag

The Antártica Chilena Province in the Magallanes Region includes the Chilean claim on the continent (53 degrees W to 90 degrees W). Puerto Williams is the capital of this province, which also includes the islands south of Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. The Magallanes Region's flag also has the Southern Cross appearing over a mountain range. This flag was adopted as the flag of Magallanes Region in 1997 by the regional government.

French Southern and Antarctic Territories

Flag of the Administrator of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories

The flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories, which includes Adélie Land, has the French tricolor in the canton together with the Commissioner's logotype. The logotype consists of five stars which represent the administrative districts that make up the territory two of which are archipelagos Illes Crozet & Illes Kerguelen. The third district is made up of Ille Saint-Paul and Ille Amsterdam; the fourth, Ille Eparses, consists of five tropical islands scattered around Madagascar. The fifth district is the Antarctic portion which consists of "Adelie Land".

The letters "TAAF" in the fly form a monogram (from the French name of the territory, Terres australes et antarctiques françaises). The flag was adopted on 23 February 2007, and was published in the Official Journal of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories on March 15, 2007. The flag had previously served as the flag of the High Commissioner of the Territory since 1958.

Ross Dependency

Proposed Ross Dependency flag

Currently, only the New Zealand national flag serves in an official capacity in the Ross Dependency. The only other 'official' flag seen in photographs was the New Zealand Post flag to denote Scott Base's post office.

Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica) uses the New Zealand flag, but vexillologist James Dignan's design concept was seen flying there at one time (when a friend of Dignan took it with him to Vanda Station in 1994). The New Zealand flag is the basis for his design, though with an 'Ice Blue' background representing the Ross Sea, and the white horizontal bar at the bottom of the flag representing the Ross Ice Shelf.

Other flags

Antarctic Vexillological Association

Flag of the Antarctic Vexillological Association

The Antarctic Vexillological Association is a vexillological association that was formed in May, 2004, at McMurdo Station by Tom Hamann in order to promote the study and appreciation of flags, especially those relating to Antarctic and polar regions.

According to Tom Hamann himself, the flag has the following meaning:

Blue represents the 24 hour day of the summer season, black represents the 24 hour night of the winter season, and white represents the ice and snow of the Antarctic continent. The Diamond in the middle if divided across the equator represents the "A" of Antarctica and "V" of Vexillology. The Diamond also represents the 4 compass points representing the compass points leading away from the geographic South Pole.

External links

• Antarctica — flag proposals