The star on the flag of Nauru has 12 points. Nauru’s white star sits below a narrow yellow stripe on a blue field, slightly toward the flag’s hoist.
The twelve points represent Nauru’s twelve original tribes. The star’s position also has geographic meaning: Nauru lies just south of the Equator, represented by the yellow stripe. The blue field symbolizes the surrounding Pacific Ocean, while the star’s white color recalls phosphate, once the foundation of Nauru’s economy.
Nauru adopted its current flag on 31 January 1968, the day it became independent. The design was created through a local competition and reflects both the island’s location and its traditional social structure. The twelve tribes named in descriptions of the flag include Deiboe, Eamwidara, Eamwit, Eamwitmwit, Eano, Eaoru, Emangum, Emea, Irutsi, Iruwa, Iwi, and Ranibok.
A common mix-up is to confuse Nauru’s twelve-pointed star with the stars on other Pacific flags. Kiribati, for example, has a rising sun with 17 rays, while Papua New Guinea’s Southern Cross contains five stars.