The flag of Tonga was adopted on 4 November 1875.
The flag looks similar to the flag of the Red Cross. The flag was originally identical to that flag, but to avoid confusion, it was changed so that the red cross appeared as a canton of a red ensign, making it similar to the 17th-century English Red Ensign.
The flag has been in use since 1864 but it was officially adopted only in 1875. Clause 47 of the Tongan Constitution states: "The Flag of Tonga shall never be altered but shall always be the flag of the Kingdom."
Read more about Flag Of Tonga: Other Flags in Use
Famous quotes containing the words flag of and/or flag:
“Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.”
—Stephen Crane (1871–1900)
“There’s an enduring American compulsion to be on the side of the angels. Expediency alone has never been an adequate American reason for doing anything. When actions are judged, they go before the bar of God, where Mom and the Flag closely flank His presence.”
—Jonathan Raban (b. 1942)