Oceania

Flag of Tonga

Tonga is an archipelago kingdom of 169 islands in the South Pacific and is the last remaining Polynesian monarchy. It is the only Pacific nation never to have been fully colonised by a European power, maintaining sovereignty throughout the 19th century under the Tupou dynasty. Tongan culture has a passionate sporting tradition, particularly in rugby union, with the national team competing regularly in Rugby World Cups despite a population of just over 100,000.

CapitalNukualofa
RegionOceania
Current flag since1866
Main coloursRed, White
Populationabout 100,000
Areaabout 750 km²
GeographyIsland nation
Flags in history2

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of Tonga means

The red cross recalls Christianity and the blood of Christ. The flag was designed under King George Tupou I and adopted in 1875, and Tonga's constitution states that it may never be changed.

More about the flag

Tonga's first flag, chosen under King George Tupou I, was white with a red cross, but it was too similar to the flag of the International Red Cross, which was founded in 1863. The cross was therefore moved to a white canton on a red field. Tonga was a British protected state from 1900 to 1970 but was never formally colonised, and it remains a constitutional monarchy.

How to recognise it

Red with a white canton containing a red Greek cross.

Did you know?

Tonga is the only Pacific Island nation that was never fully colonised by a European power.

Flag history of Tonga

Every flag that has flown over Tonga, from today back through time.

1866–present

Flag of Tonga

The red flag with a white canton bearing a red couped cross was introduced in 1866 and entrenched in the 1875 constitution, which forbids it from ever being altered — one of the world's oldest unchanged flags.

1862–1866

First flag of Tonga

Tonga's first national flag, approved by King George Tupou I around 1862, was white bearing a red cross. It was changed because it too closely resembled the Red Cross emblem then coming into international use.

Related historical states

Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of Tonga.

1862–1866

Kingdom of Tonga (1862)

Tonga's first national flag was a plain white field with a red cross, but it proved too close to the new Red Cross emblem, so King George Tupou I added the red canton still used today.