Flag History of Kiribati

The National Flag of the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced “Kiribas”) is derived from the badge designed in 1931 by Sir Arthur Grimble, the Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands between 1919 and 1933.

The first recorded flag was that of the State or Kingdom of Abemama, ruled by Binoka, the last truly independent and influential king in the late 19th century. After his death the Gilbert Islands became a British Protectorate and later Colony, with the usual colonial flags of the period, until independence in 1979.