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The current state flag of the Northern Territory was officially adopted by the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, Australia, in 1978. The Northern Territory has been in existence since 1911, but did not hoist its first flag until self-government in 1978.
History
The flag of the Northern Territory was officially acknowledged and raised for the first time in a ceremony celebrating self-government, on theesplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
in Darwin, the Territorial capital, on 1 July 1978. The ceremony was further acknowledged by a 19-gun salute from HMAS ''Derwent''. As the Northern Territory never had colonial status or a prior flag, it was decided that an original design would be created. The flag was designed by Robert Ingpen
Robert Roger Ingpen Order of Australia, AM, Royal Society of Arts, FRSA (born 13 October 1936) is an Australians, Australian graphic designer, illustrator, and writer. For his "lasting contribution" as a children's illustrator he received the b ...
, a prominent artist originally from Drysdale, Victoria
Drysdale is a rural township near Geelong, Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. The town has an approximate population of over 3,700. Drysdale forms part of an urban area, along with nearby Clifton Springs, Victoria, Clifton S ...
. Ingpen used a number of designs suggested by the public as a basis for his final design.
Design
The flag differs from the flags of the Australian states as it does not include the BritishBlue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or Defacement (flag), defaced with a Heraldic badge, ...
. The flag of the Australian Capital Territory
The current flag of the Australian Capital Territory was officially adopted by the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly in 1993.
The flag differs from the Australian state flags as it is not a defaced Blue Ensign. It is similar ...
adopted 15 years later is similar in design. The flag's colours consist of the official Territorian colours of black, white and ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
(making it the only flag among Australia's states and territories not to feature the colour blue). The Southern Cross
Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...
appears as five white stars on a black panel at the hoist. In the fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
of the flag is a stylised Sturt's Desert Rose
''Gossypium sturtianum'', or Sturt's desert rose, is a woody shrub, closely related to cultivated cotton, found in most mainland states of Australia and the Northern Territory. It is also known as the Darling River rose, cotton rosebush and Aust ...
, the territory's floral emblem
In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to ...
since 1961, with seven white petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s and a black seven-pointed core. The seven white petals represent the six Australian States and the Northern Territory.
See also
*Coat of arms of the Northern Territory
The coat of arms of the Northern Territory is the official heraldic symbol representing the Australian territory. They were officially granted by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on 11 September 1978. The arms, uniquely in Australia, inco ...
*List of Australian flags
This is a list of flags of different designs that have been used in Australia.
National flags
Other flags recognised under the Flags Act 1953
Sources:
Personal flags
Sovereign
Governor-General
State Governors
Prime Mi ...
References
3. Northern Territory Government. (2019) The NT Flag. Retrieved 13 July 2019. https://nt.gov.au/about-government/the-nt-flagExternal links
* {{Australian Flags Southern Cross flags Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
1978 establishments in Australia
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...