When was the Federated States of Micronesia's four-star flag adopted?

The Federated States of Micronesia adopted its four-star flag on 30 November 1978.

The four-star version was adopted before the federation became independent. Its light-blue field derives from the earlier Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands flag and represents the Pacific Ocean. The four white stars stand for the federation’s four states: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.

The date can be confusing because the FSM’s constitutional and international milestones came later. The federation became independent on 3 November 1986, when its Compact of Free Association with the United States entered into force. The flag, however, was already in use in its four-star form from 1978.

The fourth star also reflects a territorial change: Kosrae had previously been part of Pohnpei but became a separate district and state. Earlier trust-territory versions carried six stars because they included places that did not become part of the eventual FSM, including Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.