Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
_Islands.svg) | |
| Use | Civil and state flag    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Design | A green field with a palm tree on a gold disc in the canton, a gold crescent in the centre of the flag and a gold southern cross in the fly. |
| Designed by | Mohammed Minkom |
The flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is a green field with symbols such as a palm tree on a gold disc, which represents the islands' tropical flora; a crescent, which represent the Cocos Malays; and the Southern Cross, which represent Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. The flag mostly uses the national colours of Australia.
The flag was designed during a flag designing competition in 2003. The winning submission was designed by teenager Mohammed Minkom. Minkom's design was formally declared on 6 April 2004 by then-Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories Evan Williams. Although its designation as such, the flag's design is not officially recognised by the Australian Government
Design and symbolism
[edit]The flag consists of a green field with a palm tree on a gold disc in the canton, a gold crescent moon in the centre of the flag and a gold southern cross in the fly. The palm tree represents the islands' tropical flora; the colours are Australia's national colours; the crescent represents Islam,[1] the religion of the Cocos Malays who make up a majority of the islands' population; and the Southern Cross is a symbol of Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.[2]
Status
[edit]Then-teenage Mohammed Minkom competed in a competition in 2003[3] to design the official flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. He had won the contest and his design of the flag would be adopted by the territory.[4] Minkom's design of the flag was formally declared on 6 April 2004 by then-Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories Evan Williams.[3] Although it was adopted and regularly used as such, the flag's design is not officially recognised by the Australian Government, alongside the flag of Christmas Island.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The Flag of The Cocos (Keeling) Islands". FlagDB. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "Cocos (Keeling) Islands". FlagSpot. 2015. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b "The symbols of other territories of Australia". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 7 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "When there was trouble in paradise". ABC News. 6 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022). "State and territory flags". Australian flags (3rd ed.). Australian Government. ISBN 978-0642471345.
External links
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