Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and is one of the world's most linguistically diverse countries, with over 800 languages spoken by a population of around 9 million — more languages than any other country on Earth. The country has extraordinary biodiversity with large areas of intact tropical rainforest and species found nowhere else. Papua New Guinea achieved independence from Australian administration in 1975.
Population and area are rounded.
Red and black are traditional colours in the art of many Papua New Guinean peoples. The bird of paradise represents the country's emergence into nationhood, and the Southern Cross its place in the South Pacific. The flag was designed by Susan Karike, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, in 1971.
Diagonal red-over-black with a yellow bird of paradise on the red and a white Southern Cross on the black.
Papua New Guinea has the most languages of any country — over 800 distinct languages.
Papua New Guinea's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:
Every flag that has flown over Papua New Guinea, from today back through time.
Designed by 15-year-old schoolgirl Susan Karike and adopted in 1971, it shows a yellow Raggiana bird of paradise and the white stars of the Southern Cross on a diagonally split red-and-black field. It has never changed.
A blue-white-green vertical design with stars and a bird of paradise, used briefly for the Territory of Papua and New Guinea before being rejected as too "colonial".
Australia took over the southern half — the Territory of Papua — in 1906, flying a British blue ensign defaced with a bird-of-paradise badge, while the German-then-Australian north was administered separately. The two halves were merged into a single Territory of Papua and New Guinea in 1949 (thereafter under the Australian flag) on the road to the unified independence of 1975.
Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of Papua New Guinea.
Bougainville's secessionists raised this blue flag with an 'upe' headdress and kapkap disc in 1975, days before Papua New Guinea's independence — the start of a long struggle.
The 22 states, provinces and regions of Papua New Guinea with their own flags.
National Capital District
Western
Gulf
Central
Milne Bay
Northern (Oro)
Southern Highlands
Hela
Enga
Western Highlands
Jiwaka
Chimbu
Eastern Highlands
Morobe
Madang
East Sepik
West Sepik
Manus
New Ireland
East New Britain
West New Britain BougainvillePapua New Guinea shares a land border with one country: Indonesia.
4 other national flags use the same main colours as Papua New Guinea's.
Play Globalio and learn Papua New Guinea's flag
Tanzania
Indonesia
Brunei
Egypt
Timor-Leste
Uganda