The flag of

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of ...

, part of the

British overseas territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Br ...

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name wa ...

, was adopted on 11 May 2013. The flag is a

blue 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 defaced with a badge or other emblem. The e ...

design, defaced with the coat of arms of Ascension Island.

Flag history

The current flag was flown for the first time on 11 May 2013. Prior to the adoption of this flag, the island used the

Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

of the United Kingdom for official purposes. At its meeting on 3 March 2009, the

Ascension Island Council The Ascension Island Council is an elected body that provides advice to the Administrator of Ascension Island on matters relating to the governance of Ascension Island. The Council is made up of either five or seven Councillors, depending on the ...

discussed the idea of a new flag and agreed to develop a unique flag for the island in consultation with the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...

. Members also suggested that a public competition could be held to determine the design of the new flag.

The 2010 proposals

Two draft proposals for an Ascension Island flag were presented to the Island Council at its meeting on 30 July 2010. Following a public consultation, a final design was published in January 2012 and if approved by the Governor, will be submitted to the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sover ...

for approval. The draft proposals were made public in September 2010. Both are blue ensigns defaced with the proposed coats of arms.

2012 proposal

The Ascension Island Council approved a final design for a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

in January 2012. Following the agreement of the Governor of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cunha, the design was submitted to the College of Arms for formal be a blue ensign defaced with the proposed arms. The arms received royal approval in August 2012 and are now in official use by the Ascension Island Government. An unofficial flag was used to represent Ascension Island at the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June 2012. The flag was a blue ensign defaced with the coat of arms proposed in January 2012. An image of this flag appeared in the official flag guide to the event published by the Flag Institute. A final design for the island's flag was agreed by the Ascension Island Council in November 2012 and received approval from HM the Queen in April 2013. This flag was raised for the first time on 11 May 2013. File:Ascension Island flag proposal A.png, 2010 Proposal A File:Ascension Island flag proposal B.png, 2010 Proposal B Flag_of_Ascension_Island.svg, June 2012 proposal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascension Island, Flag of

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

National flags Blue Ensigns Flags introduced in 2013

Flags that incorporate the Union Jack