Flag of Antarctica

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[1] officially adopted an emblem in 2002 which is sometimes used as a flag, this emblem represents the Antarctic Treaty and not the continent itself.[2] Antarctic Treaty members used the emblem for at least 30 years prior to its formal adoption, having used it on a 1971 commemorative stamp.[3]

Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty

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.[4]

Graham Bartram proposal
Graham Bartram's design (2:3 proportion)

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.[5] The Graham Bartram design is currently used for the "Flag for Antarctica" emoji on all supported platforms.[6]

True South Proposal
True South Design

A science support contractor created True South during the austral winter of 2018 while at an Antarctic research station. 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.[7]

True South is perhaps the most official Antarctic flag proposal as it is the first flag to have been formally adopted by National Antarctic Programs, Antarctic nonprofits, and expedition teams.[8][9][10] It has flown at more than a dozen research stations across Antarctica as well as in locations on every other continent.[11][12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15] The flag had previously served as the flag of the High Commissioner of the Territory since 1958.[16]

References
  1. "The Antarctic Treaty Explained". British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  2. "Antarctic Treaty database - Decision 2 (2002) - ATCM XXV - CEP V, Warsaw". ats.aq. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  3. "Postage stamp issues to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, 1961". Polar Record. 16 (100): 104–105. January 1972. doi:10.1017/S0032247400062677. ISSN 1475-3057.
  4. "White Flag of Antarctica - National Maritime Museum". collections.rmg.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  5. Kaye, Edward (July 27, 2003). "Flags Over Antarctica" (PDF). Proceedings of the International Congress of Vexillology. XX: 389–401 – via Nordic Flag Society.
  6. "Flag for Antarctica Emoji". Emojipedia. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  7. "TRUE SOUTH | A New Flag of Antarctica". True South. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  8. "Český antarktický výzkumný program". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  9. "Polair toerisme I Kees Bastmeijer - Poolevent". www.poolevent.nl. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  10. "Kutup Araştırmaları Kulübü". Instagram. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  11. "True South: A New Flag for a Global Antarctica". oceanwide-expeditions.com. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  12. Team, True South (2020-12-04). "True South Flies on All 7 Continents in Celebration of Antarctica Day". True South. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  13. "Bandera Provincial" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  14. Cerda Sepúlveda, Manuel (5 February 1997). Salles González, Ricardo (ed.). "Resolution N° 42 about the Regional Symbols of Magallanes". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  15. Perillo, Thierry (1 January 2008). "Le drapeau des TAAF (valeur d'appoint)". Philatelie des TAAF (in French). Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  16. Klimeš, Roman (1997). "Symbols of Antarctica" (PDF). Proceedings of the International Congress of Vexillology. XVII: 232–237 – via Southern African Vexillological Association.
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