Samoa’s national flag has a red field with a blue canton containing five white stars representing the Southern Cross constellation.

What does the Samoa flag look like?

The blue rectangle occupies the upper hoist corner. Inside it are five white stars of different sizes arranged as the Southern Cross.

What do the colors mean?

Traditional explanations associate red with courage, blue with freedom and white with purity. The Southern Cross connects Samoa with its South Pacific location.

History of the flag

The present basic design was adopted in 1949 while Samoa was still administered by New Zealand. It was retained when Western Samoa became independent in 1962 and continued after the country’s official name changed to Samoa.

Samoa flag facts

• Adopted: 1949
• Colors: red, blue and white
• Stars: five
• Independence: 1962