On Kiribati’s flag, the sun’s rays represent the Gilbert Islands plus Banaba.
The flag displays 17 rays: 16 stand for the Gilbert Islands and the extra ray represents Banaba, also known historically as Ocean Island. Banaba is politically part of Kiribati but lies well west of the main Gilbert Islands group, in the western Pacific near Nauru.
The sun is more than a count of islands. It is a rising tropical sun, reflecting Kiribati’s position astride the Equator. The flag’s three pairs of blue and white waves represent the Pacific Ocean and Kiribati’s three island groups: the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands.
Readers sometimes count only the Gilbert Islands and overlook Banaba because it is geographically separate. Other island names in the choices are associated with Polynesia, but they are not represented by the 17 rays. The symbolism therefore combines geography, political identity and Kiribati’s oceanic setting in one compact emblem.