thumb|Solomons flag at left
The flag of Solomon Islands consists of a thin yellow diagonal stripe from the lower hoist-side corner, with a blue upper triangle and green lower triangle, and the canton charged with five white stars. Adopted in 1977 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the protectorate, it has been the flag of Solomon Islands since 18 November of that year, eight months before the country gained independence. Although the number of provinces has since increased, the number of stars on the flag that originally represented them remained unchanged.
History
British protectorate
The Germans and the British agreed to partition the modern-day Solomon Islands in 1886, with the latter taking control of the southern section. Seven years later, in 1893, they declared this area a protectorate within their colonial empire. At the turn of the 20th century, Germany subsequently gave up their northern part to the United Kingdom in exchange for the latter's acceptance of German claims over Samoa and areas in Africa.
A new emblem for the protectorate was introduced in 1947 and featured a red field charged with a black-and-white sea turtle. This was modified only nine years later because the turtle was a motif affiliated with only one of the islands' provinces. The revised version of 1956 saw the shield divided quarterly and displayed a lion, an eagle, a turtle, a frigate bird, and assorted weapons from the region. One of the submissions contained the nation's coat of arms, This was in spite of the fact that preference was supposed to be given to local submissions by Solomon Islanders. It was ratified as the new flag of the islands on 18 November 1977, eight months before the country became the final British protectorate to gain independence.
Independence and beyond
The Independence Day ceremony on 7 July 1978, in Gizo, Western Province – which saw the lowering of the Union Jack and the raising of the new flag – was controversial and led to a confrontation between locals and those from Malaita Province. This was because leaders from the Western Council had unsuccessfully lobbied the government to promise greater devolved powers to the provinces,
The Solomon Islander flag has been utilized as a flag of convenience by foreign merchant vessels since 2012. That year, an Act was adopted by the country's National Parliament approving of its usage in this manner, with the government predicting more than US$500,000 in taxes annually. The transport minister claimed that this would also give local sailors new employment opportunities and expand chances to reap foreign exchange. The green alludes to the land,
Variants
The civil ensign (for merchant ships) and state ensign (for non-military government vessels) are red and blue flags, respectively, with the national flag in the canton. The naval ensign (for police vessels) is based on the British white ensign, a red cross on a white field, also with the national flag in the canton.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Variant flags of Solomon Islands
!scope="col" |Variant flag
!scope="col" |Usage
|-
! scope="row" | 150px
| Civil ensign
|-
! scope="row" | 150px
| State ensign
|-
! scope="row" | 150px
| Customs Service Ensign
|-
! scope="row" | 150px
| Naval Ensign
|}
Historical flags
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Historical flags of the British Solomon Islands
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Historical flag
!scope="col"|Duration