national flag consisting of a light blue field (background) with nine yellow stars in the fly half and, in the canton, the Union Jack (United Kingdom, flag of the). The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 1 to 2.

The British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands was divided in 1975 because the Melanesians dominating the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) and the Polynesians on the Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu) preferred to have separate states. The new Tuvalu government was granted a coat of arms (arms, coat of) by British authorities on December 3, 1976. This was used on the Union Jack as a state flag and on the British Blue Ensign as a state ensign. On the third anniversary of separation from the Gilberts—October 1, 1978—Tuvalu became independent under a new national flag. Designed by Vione Natano, the flag was similar to that of nearby Fiji (Fiji, flag of). The light blue background contained nine yellow stars representing the atolls and islands of the country. The Union Jack canton was symbolic of Tuvalu's links with Britain and other Commonwealth members.