Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of the islands of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the Tristan da Cunha group...

is a British Overseas Territory in the south Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. Each of the three parts of the territory flies a different flag.

The Flag of Saint Helena

Saint Helena

Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...

was adopted on October 4, 1984. It is a defaced Blue Ensign

Blue Ensign

The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....

, i.e., blue with the flag of the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helena shield centred on the outer half of the flag. The coat of arms of Saint Helena

Coat of arms of Saint Helena

The coat of arms of Saint Helena was authorised on January 30, 1984.The arms feature a shield, with the top third showing the national bird, the Saint Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae, known locally as the Wirebird - stylized, but with its unmistakable head pattern...

 features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship, with a Saint Helena Plover atop. Prior to the adoption of the current coat of arms and flag in 1984, the flag and shield showed the ship and coastal scene taken from the colonial seal of the colony.

The Flag is not used in the dependencies of Saint Helena. Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...

, adopted its own flag

Flag of Tristan da Cunha

The flag of Tristan da Cunha was adopted on October 20, 2002, in a proclamation made by the Governor of Saint Helena under a Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth II...

 in October 2002. Ascension Island

Ascension Island

Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...

 currently uses the Union Flag

Flag of Ascension Island

There is currently no unique flag for Ascension Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, therefore the Union Flag of the United Kingdom is used for official purposes....

 but is in the process of adopting its own flag

Flag of Ascension Island

There is currently no unique flag for Ascension Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, therefore the Union Flag of the United Kingdom is used for official purposes....

.

Ships registered in Saint Helena fly the Red Ensign

Red Ensign

The Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is a flag that originated in the early 17th century as a British ensign flown by the Royal Navy and later specifically by British merchantmen. The precise date of its first appearance is not known, but surviving receipts indicate that the Navy was paying to have such...

; there is no defaced variant for the territory.