A red inuksuk between gold and white, and the North Star: the flag of Nunavut, the Inuit territory of Canada, was born the same day as the territory itself, in 1999.
Every fact about the flag, each with what it means.
Normal flagFIAV symbol: the form of the flag.
CivilFIAV symbol: who may fly the flag.YesIt carries the coat of arms on the cloth.The flag in the words of vexillology and heraldry.
It is a rectangular field with a 9:16 ratio divided into two vertical halves: yellow next to the flagpole and white on the fly side.
Each element and how many of the 1,390 flags in the catalogue carry it. In yellow, the rarest.
How it was born, how it has changed and what it means.
Nunavut is the largest territory of Canada, in the Arctic, and most of its inhabitants are Inuit. Its flag carries in the centre a red inuksuk, a figure of stones in the shape of a person, between a golden field and a white one, and a blue star: the North Star.
Nunavut separated from the Northwest Territories and was born as a territory on 1 April 1999. Before that, a competition was opened to choose its symbols and more than 800 entries came in. A committee of artists and Inuit elders chose ten finalists, and the Inuk artist Andrew Qappik helped draw the final designs.
Canada’s Chief Herald travelled to communities such as Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake and Iqaluit to consult the people. The final version was approved by the Governor General of Canada and Queen Elizabeth II, and the flag was proclaimed the same day the territory was born.
It has not changed since 1999.
Inuksuk
a monument of stones that the Inuit raise to find their way in the tundra, to mark sacred places or to point out hunting and fishing areas.
Star
Niqirtsuituq, the North Star, which guides travellers. On the flag it stands for the wisdom and guidance of the community’s elders.
Yellow and blue
the riches of the land, the sea and the sky.
Red
Canada.
To choose the flag and coat of arms of Nunavut, more than 800 entries were submitted. Only ten reached the final.
The inuksuk is red to represent Canada, the same colour as the maple leaf on the Canadian flag.
It measures 9 high by 16 long, the same elongated shape as a widescreen, not 1:2 like the flag of Canada.
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Test what you have read about the flag of Nunavut.
Text based on the article “Flag of Nunavut (Wikipedia en inglés)” from the Spanish Wikipedia, published under the licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources consulted:
Flag image: Kooma (original), Wikimedia Commons · Public domain.
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