Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...

is similar to the flags of other British dependencies and colonies as it has the Union Flag

Flag of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or, popularly, Union Jack. The current design of the Union Flag dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801...

in the canton

Flag terminology

Flag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...

. It was adopted on November 7, 1968. 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....

; the yellow shield is taken from the territory's coat of arms

Coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands was granted in 1965.The arms consist of a shield bearing a conch shell, lobster, and cactus on a yellow background. The dexter and sinister supporters are flamingos...

and contains a conch

Conch

A conch is a common name which is applied to a number of different species of medium-sized to large sea snails or their shells, generally those which are large and have a high spire and a siphonal canal....

shell, lobster

Lobster

Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...

, and cactus

Cactus

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...

. A 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...

with the shield is used as civil ensign

Civil ensign

The civil ensign is the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality...

.

The previous flag used up to 1968 was also a defaced Blue Ensign. Like many other British territories in the region at the time, it had a circular badge showing a ship offshore from a beach with the name of the islands. The Turks and Caicos badge also showed a man working on the beach between two piles of salt. The 1889 Admiralty Flag Book introduced some shading into the right-hand salt pile, interpreted as an insertion of an entrance to what was erroneously thought to be a hut or igloo.

See also