Flags of Antarctica
![[Large] Ceremonial South Pole (1)_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bd9fe1_1a01f9713ba74f7dbecb559d99ba9d02~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_186,w_3000,h_783/fill/w_985,h_257,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BLarge%5D%20Ceremonial%20South%20Pole%20(1)_edited.jpg)
Many flags have flown over Antarctica in the 200 years since it was first sited. Historically and currently, national flags are the most common flags on the continent. While they were previously used for territorial claims, since the adoption of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 most national flags are used to signal the affiliation of a particular station or vessel. This page documents the other flags associated with the continent, though it is by no means exhaustive.
Continental Flags
True South
Though not yet officially recognized by every country, True South is the first Antarctic flag to be both created and supported by members of the global Antarctic community. It was created in Antarctica in 2018 and revealed to the public in 2020. It has been formally adopted by national Antarctica programs, Antarctic nonprofits, expedition teams, and individuals across the world.
The Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty
In 2002, the Antarctic Treaty Committee Meeting adopted an emblem to “provide a clear identity to the work of the ATCM and its Secretariat." which is sometimes used as a flag. As stated in the decision to adopt it, the emblem represents the treaty, not the continent. The decision also specifies that it may be used only by the ATCM and its Secretariat, or those operating with their authority.
Other Antarctic Flag Proposals
Several other flags have been proposed as a broader symbol of the continent and the people connected to it. None of these flags have any form of official status, and none are currently in common use on the continent. Click the images to view details and source links.
This flag design was proposed in 1978 by flag scholar Whitney Smith. The letter A stands for Antarctica while the disk below it represents the part of the globe below the Antarctic circle. Smith chose orange for its visibility.
After seeing Smith's proposal, Joanne Cooper and Stefan Tucker sought to improve the design. They used orange, like Smith, but added a compass rose, a penguin, and an outline of the continent.
Plastics artist Olivier Leroi was inspired by the colors of the emperor penguin. The vertical bands of the flag are sized in proportion to the distribution of color on the penguin.
This flag design was proposed in 1978 by flag scholar Whitney Smith. The letter A stands for Antarctica while the disk below it represents the part of the globe below the Antarctic circle. Smith chose orange for its visibility.
Territorial Flags
Seven countries have made eight claims to parts of Antarctica. Of those claims, four have flags officially adopted by their respective national governments. The remainder use the national flag as the symbol of their claimed territory. Click the images to view details and source links.
The official flag of the British territory claim on Antarctica between 20°W and 80°W. Vector image by Masur.
This is the flag of the French Antarctic claim of Adélie Land as well as four groups of islands in the Indian Ocean. The emblem, made from the initials of Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, represents an anchor.
Like Argentina's flag, the flag of the Chilean Antarctic region is the flag of its southernmost province which includes the country's claimed Antarctic territory.
The official flag of the British territory claim on Antarctica between 20°W and 80°W. Vector image by Masur.
Historic Flags
Several expeditions have flown their own flags during their time on the continent. These flags were always accompanied by the flag of the expedition's country of origin. Click the images to view details and source links.
Expedition Flags
The flag of the 1902-1904 Scottish National Antarctic Expedition features the Scottish saltire with the initials of the expedition. Jessie Bruce made this for her husband, expedition leader William Bruce, to take on his journey south.
This is one of two variants of a flag used by the Japanese Antarctic Expedition 1910-1912. It was also used as a flag of Yamato Yukihara, an area of Antarctica claimed by expedition leader Lieutenant Shirase Nobu. The claim was never formally recognized, even by the Japanese government.
This flag was designed by Virginia (Ginny) Fiennes, wife of explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The Transglobe Expedition was an uninterrupted circumnavigation of the world via the North and South Poles. (Image courtesy of the Transglobe Expedition Trust.)
The flag of the 1902-1904 Scottish National Antarctic Expedition features the Scottish saltire with the initials of the expedition. Jessie Bruce made this for her husband, expedition leader William Bruce, to take on his journey south.
Sledge Flags
Sledge flags were a relatively short-lived custom of British polar explorers first used in 1850 on an Arctic expedition to find Sir John Franklin's lost expedition. In the style of naval ships (the expedition was mounted by the Royal Navy and crewed by seamen), each sledge was given a flag, as well as a name and motto. This tradition carried on through the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. There are several surviving versions of flags from Scott and Shackleton's expeditions. Most were pennants, with a few notable exceptions such as Shackleton's rectangular flag.
Sources and further reading:
Sledge-Flags: Their Origin and Development- H.G. Carr
Chivalry at the Poles: British Sledge Flags-Barbara Tomlinson
United Kingdom:Sledge Flags-Flags of the World
Illustrations of the crew's sledge flags as they appeared in the South Polar Times, a magazine created by the members of Scott's expeditions.
Marker Flags
Flags are used to mark trails, depots, and other sites around Antarctica. These flags are usually solid colors, often with reflective patches for maximum visibility. The meaning of a particular color of flag varies across time and location, but they most often communicate a level of safety. In the US Antarctic Program sites, for example, red and green flags both mark paths that are safe to traverse while black flags mark dangerous obstacles such as ice crevasses.
Micronational Flags
Because of the large unclaimed territory in Antarctica, dozens of people have attempted to claim sovereignty in the form of micronations. These claims are explicitly forbidden in the Antarctic Treaty and are not recognized by any world government or major international organization. They exist almost exclusively online, although some have their own royal titles, currencies, and passports. Almost all have their own flag.
Source and further reading: Micronationalism in Antarctica
The flag of the Antarctic Micronational Union, like Graham Bartram's design, appears to be UN-inspired.
Acknowledgements
The following were instrumental in securing much of the information on this page:
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Robert B. Stephenson, The Antarctic Circle
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Laura Kissel, The Ohio State University Archives, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program
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The many contributors to the Flags of the World website