Flag of Antarctica

As a condominium with no single governing body, the continent of Antarctica does not have an official flag of its own. However, several designs have been created for the purpose of representing the continent.

This should be distinguished from flags flown in Antarctica in general, which includes those used by national missions and outposts in Antarctica.

## Flag designs

[edit]

Since the 1970s, there have been many designs proposed as a flag for Antarctica.[1]

### White flag (1929)

[edit]

Original flag flown by the 'Discovery', stored at the Royal Museums Greenwich.

In 1929, members of the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition on RRS Discovery used white cotton sheeting to improvise a courtesy ensign for Antarctica, which had (and currently has) no official flag. The banner is now in the National Maritime Museum in London. The white flag was used to represent Antarctica on at least two occasions on the voyage to Antarctica. On 1 August 1929, The Times noted that "the ship was flying the Union Jack at her forepeak, the white Antarctic flag at the foremast, and the Australian flag at the stern."[2][3]

### Whitney Smith's proposal (1978)

[edit]

Whitney Smith proposal

Vexillologist Whitney Smith presented an orange flag with a white emblem in the hoist at the 1978 annual meeting of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA). 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. For high visibility, he chose international orange, a color commonly used in the aerospace industry to set objects apart from their surroundings.[1] The bright orange color was also chosen due to its rarity among national flags, as no nation with an active research base on the continent uses the color orange in their flag. The design elements are positioned on the hoist side of the flag so that it would remain visible even if the flag were damaged by the harsh Antarctic winds.[4]

### Graham Bartram's proposal (1996)

[edit]

Graham Bartram's proposal

Graham Bartram, the chief vexillologist of a British organization, the Flag Institute, designed another proposal in 1996 for a 3D Atlas program developed by The MultiMedia Corporation and published by Electronic Arts.[5] Using the flag of the United Nations as his model, he chose a plain white map of the continent on a blue background to symbolize neutrality. The flag was inspired by the emblem of the Antarctic Treaty System.[6]

Vexillologist Ted Kaye had Bartram's design printed and took them with him on an Antarctic cruise. At Kaye's request, it flew at the Brazilian base Comandante Ferraz and the British museum at Port Lockroy.[1] Since 2015, Bartram's design has been used on most supported platforms as the "Flag of Antarctica" emoji implemented using the regional indicator symbol sequence AQ.[7]

#### Redesign

[edit]

In a 2024 update to his design, Bartram introduced modifications to the flag which were aimed at raising awareness about the environmental challenges facing the continent, specifically focusing on the issue of microplastic pollution. This initiative seeks to highlight the presence of microplastics in Antarctica, drawing global attention to the impact on wildlife and ecosystems and advocating for international efforts to tackle this pressing issue.[8]

### True South proposal (2018)

[edit]

True South proposal

The True South proposal was designed by Evan Townsend in 2018.[9][10] 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.[11]

The flag is named after geographic South, or "true South", which differs from magnetic south.[12]

The flag has quickly gained popularity since its introduction.[13] It has been adopted by a few National Antarctic Programs,[14][15] Antarctic nonprofits, and expedition teams; flown at several research stations across Antarctica;[16] and was used in the 2022 marker for the geographic South Pole.[17]

## Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty

[edit]

Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty

The emblem of the Antarctic Treaty System is occasionally used, both for its use by its members since the first consultative meeting in 1961[18][19] and for having inspired other similar flags.[6] While the origin of this design can be traced to the first redaction of the treaty in 1959,[20] the consultative members of the Antarctic Treaty System have officially adopted it as emblem only in 2002.[21]

The emblem is used in the form of a flag,[22][23][24] among other forms, along with being used on all official documents, and officially this emblem represents the Antarctic Treaty System and not the continent itself.[22] A commemorative stamp was also issued by the US Post Office in 1971.[25]

## See also

[edit]

* Heraldry and Vexillology portal

* List of Antarctic flags
* Flag of the Antarctic Treaty
* Flag of the British Antarctic Territory
* Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
* Flag of Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region
* Flag of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands
* List of flags by design
* List of national flags by design
* Gallery of sovereign state flags
* Gallery of flags of dependent territories

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Kaye, Edward (27 July 2003). "Flags Over Antarctica" (PDF). Proceedings of the International Congress of Vexillology. XX: 389–401 - via Nordic Flag Society.
2. ^ "White Flag of Antarctica - National Maritime Museum". collections.rmg.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
3. ^ Savours, Ann (4 April 2013). The Voyages of the Discovery: An Illustrated History of Scott's Ship. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-702-3.
4. ^ "Antarctica — Whitney Smith proposal". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
5. ^ Phil Salvador (3 June 2015). "Music Highlight: Electronic Arts 3D Atlas". Retrieved 2 April 2023.
6. ^ a b Dumont-Le Cornec, Elisabeth (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags: Banners and Ensigns. Firefly Books. p. 154\. ISBN 978-0-2281-0258-8. "...One flag was designed by Graham Bartram and is very similar to the flag of the Antarctic Treaty, and the other is by Whitney Smith... Neither of these flags has ever been flown on the territories governed by the treaty."
7. ^ "Flag for Antarctica Emoji". Emojipedia. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
8. ^ "Antarctica Flag Redesigned". Antarctica Flag Redesigned. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
9. ^ "Antarctica's first flag gives the uninhabited continent a voice in the climate crisis". 29 April 2021.
10. ^ "True South: A New Flag for a Global Antarctica".
11. ^ "A New Flag of Antarctica". True South. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
12. ^ Lilit Marcus (18 July 2021). "Is Antarctica a country? The future of the world's least understood continent". CNN. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
13. ^ "Antarctica", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2 August 2022, retrieved 20 August 2022
14. ^ Long, Molly (20 April 2021). "This flag has been designed to represent and protect Antarctica". Design Week. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
15. ^ Sandigliano, Teo (23 April 2021). "TRUE SOUTH, a new flag for Antarctica's conservation". WeVux. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
16. ^ * "Antarctica's New Flag Hopes To Bring Attention To This Fragile Continent". Matador Network. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
* "Flag Days: Good Luck, True South". 99% Invisible. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
* "Antarctica's first flag gives the uninhabited continent a voice in the climate crisis". Dezeen. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
* Team, True South (4 December 2020). "True South Flies on All 7 Continents in Celebration of Antarctica Day". True South. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
17. ^ "Antarctica Photo Library". photolibrary.usap.gov. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
18. ^ "Antarctic treaty, first consultative meeting, 10 Jul 1961" (PDF) (in French).
19. ^ "Postage stamp issues to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, 1961". Polar Record. 16 (100): 104–105\. January 1972. Bibcode:1972PoRec..16..104.. doi:10.1017/S0032247400062677. ISSN 1475-3057. S2CID 251050011. "The representatives recommend their governments:...that the most prominent feature of the stamp should be the Atlantic Treaty emblem representing a map of Antarctica, which appears on the official documents of consultative meetings;"
20. ^ "Original facsimile of Antarctic Treaty, 1 December 1959" (PDF).
21. ^ "The Antarctic Treaty Explained". British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
22. ^ a b "Decision 2 (2002) - ATCM XXV - CEP V, Warsaw". Antarctic Treaty database. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
23. ^ "Antarctic Treaty". www.fotw.info. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
24. ^ "HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT FOR THE SECRETARIAT OF THE ANTARCTIC TREATY" (PDF).
25. ^ "Postage stamp issues to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, 1961". Polar Record. 16 (100): 104–105\. January 1972. Bibcode:1972PoRec..16..104.. doi:10.1017/S0032247400062677. ISSN 1475-3057. S2CID 251050011.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Antarctica.

* Antarctica – flag proposals
* The Coolest ""Country"" Flag You Need To Know on YouTube, a video by CGP Grey on the topic

* v
* t
* e

Antarctica

Geography|

* South Pole
* Antarctic sea ice
* Climate
* Climate change
* Heat waves
* Ice shelves
* Geology
* Glaciers
* Mountains
* Tundra
* Volcanoes

| Regions|

* Biogeographic realm
* Antarctic Peninsula
* East Antarctica
* ice sheet
* shield
* Extreme points
* Floristic kingdom
* Islands
* Ridge A
* South Pole (region)
* South magnetic pole
* West Antarctica
* ice sheet

|

Bodies of water|

* Antarctic/Southern Ocean
* Lake CECs
* Lake Mercer
* Lake Vostok
* List of rivers
* McMurdo Sound
* Ross Sea
* Weddell Sea

Life|

* Flora
* Microorganisms
* Wildlife
* Birds
* Mammals
* Krill

History|

* Expeditions
* Heroic Age
* World War II
* Colonization
* COVID-19 pandemic
* Years

Politics|

* Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs
* Military activity
* National programs
* Territorial claims
* Treaty System

Society|

* Antarctica Day
* Antarctic English
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Field camps
* Firefighting
* Flags
* Gateway cities
* Midwinter Day
* Protected areas
* Religion
* Research stations
* Telecommunications
* Time
* Tourism
* Transport
* Women
* Antarctica Weather Danger Classification

Famous explorers|

* Roald Amundsen
* Richard E. Byrd
* Douglas Mawson
* Ui-te-Rangiora (legendary)
* James Clark Ross
* Robert Falcon Scott
* Ernest Shackleton

* Category
* Commons
* Index

* v
* t
* e

Flags of Overseas France

Overseas departments|

* French Guiana
* Guadeloupe
* Martinique
* Mayotte
* Réunion

Overseas collectivity|

* French Polynesia
* Saint Barthélemy
* Saint Martin
* Saint Pierre and Miquelon
* Wallis and Futuna

Sui generis collectivity|

* New Caledonia

Overseas territory|

* French Southern and Antarctic Territories

* v
* t
* e

Flags of Antarctica

Current|

* Adélie Land
* Argentine Antarctica
* Australian Antarctic Territory
* British Antarctic Territory
* Chilean Antarctica
* Ross Dependency
* Queen Maud Land/Peter I Island

Former|

* New Swabia

* v
* t
* e

Lists of flags

* Master list
* Reference list

State-related|

* African derivative
* Arab states
* Christian
* Civil flag
* Country
* Date of Adoption
* Heads of state
* Historical flags
* Former sovereign states
* Formerly independent
* Timeline
* By year
* Islamic
* State flag
* State flags and ensigns
* Sovereign
* Special and fictional
* Unrecognized

| Mobile military|

* Armed Forces
* Army and Ground Forces
* Air Forces
* Air Forces Roundels
* Air Forces Fin Flashes
* Maritime
* Ministry of Defense
* Naval ensigns
* Naval Jack

|

Mobile civil service|

* Border and Coast Guard Forces
* Police Flag

Mobile civilian|

* Civil air
* Civil and Merchant Navy
* Civil ensign
* House flag
* Pilot boat flags and ensigns
* Yacht flags and ensigns

Other entities|

* Capitals
* Cultural
* Dependent territories
* Ethnic
* International Organizations
* Micronations
* Olympics and the Paralympics
* Pride flags
* Proposals
* Religious

By design
(National)|

| By elements|

* Animals
* Astronomical
* Bicolor
* Borders
* British ensigns
* Buildings
* Canton
* Circles
* Color
* by number
* by combination
* Crescents
* Crosses
* Cross of Trier
* Nordic
* Saints banners
* Saints' crosses
* Devices
* Diamonds
* Flags
* Geographical
* Headgear
* Inscriptions
* Arabic
* English
* Latin
* Russian
* Spanish
* Keys
* Maps
* Nautical
* Plants
* People
* Quartered
* Solids
* Stars
* Trees
* Triangles
* Tribands
* Two-sided
* Watercraft
* Weapons

|

By shape|

* Non-quadrilateral
* Proportions

By nations|

| Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Governorates
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* counties
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe
* Rhodesia

|

Antarctica|

* Adélie Land
* Argentine Antarctica
* Australian Antarctic Territory
* British Antarctic Territory
* Chilean Antarctic Territory
* Peter I Island
* Queen Maud Land
* Ross Dependency

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Hong Kong
* Macau
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* states
* armed forces
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* prefectures
* municipalities
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* provinces
* coastwise emblem
* Qatar
* Russia
* federal subjects
* Sakha
* Russian Navy
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Soviet Union
* republics
* Soviet Navy
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Europe|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* states
* Austria-Hungary
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Brussels
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* regions
* communes
* Brittany
* Corsica
* Île-de-France
* Occitanie
* Pays de la Loire
* French Empire
* Georgia
* Germany
* states
* districts
* municipalities
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* regions
* Kazakhstan
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* royal standards
* provinces
* municipalities
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* naval and maritime
* voivodeships
* Portugal
* personal standards
* municipalities
* Romania
* Russia
* federal subjects
* Sakha
* Russian Navy
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Soviet Union
* republics
* Soviet Navy
* Spain
* autonomous communities
* provinces
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* cantons
* municipalities
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* oblasts
* United Kingdom
* England
* Cornwall
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* cities, towns and villages
* British Empire
* Vatican City/Holy See
* Yugoslavia

North America|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Canada
* lieutenant governors
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* El Salvador
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* states
* municipalities
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* states and territories
* ensigns
* jacks
* armed forces
* Puerto Rico
* CSA

Oceania|

* Australia
* state governors
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Norfolk Island
* Federated States of Micronesia
* Fiji
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Nauru
* New Zealand
* Palau
* states
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

South America|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Guyana
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Suriname
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Names in italics indicate non-sovereign (dependent) territories, disputed states and/or former countries.
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template