Tonga’s current national flag has a red field and a white upper-hoist rectangle containing a red equal-armed cross. The Constitution secured its status on 4 November 1875. The usual reference proportion is 1:2; the Constitution does not supply a dimensioned drawing.
Specification
Clause 47 of the Constitution of Tonga identifies the Flag of Tonga, also calling it the flag of King George, and requires its permanent retention as the Kingdom’s flag. It separately preserves the Royal Ensign for the royal family. This is legal identification of an existing flag, rather than a written description of colors, proportions or cross dimensions.
Store norske leksikon describes the red field, white canton and red Greek cross, and gives 1:2 proportions. A Greek cross has equal arms; here it stops short of the canton edges.
Colors
Specimen #C10000 / RGB 193, 0, 0Specimen #FFFFFF / RGB 255, 255, 255These values describe the downloaded SVG, not official digital or textile specifications. No binding shade, RAL reference or tolerance was verified in the consulted legislation. Flags of the World reports PMS 032 for Olympic manuals and Pantone 186c for Album des Pavillons. These differing reference choices do not establish a single national production standard. Screen colors do not replace physical specifications.
Construction notes
The inspected SVG has a 0 0 96 48 viewBox. Coordinates below start at the upper hoist. They describe this display specimen, not statutory dimensions.
| Element | Construction | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| Field | 96 wide × 48 high | Hoist : fly = 1:2 |
| White canton | x=0–40; y=0–24 | 5/12 of fly; 1/2 of hoist |
| Vertical cross bar | x=17–23; y=3–21 | 6 wide × 18 high |
| Horizontal cross bar | x=11–29; y=9–15 | 18 wide × 6 high |
| Cross alignment | Center (20,12); five 6 × 6 squares | Centered in canton; equal arms |
The canton matches the Album des Pavillons (2000) proportions transcribed by Flags of the World: half the hoist and 5/12 of the fly. That page also reports a Flag Institute construction with a canton 3/8 of the fly. Both use 1:2 flags. The selected artwork follows the Album canton; the alternative is not treated as a separate adoption or a superseded national flag.
The four paths contain exact integer coordinates, with no strokes or external resources. Their cross is symmetric about its center. This open-license reference rendering is not a certified manufacturing master; no legal basis for preferring either canton width was established.
Symbols and use
Store norske leksikon explains the cross as Christian, the red as Christ’s blood and the white as purity. These are explanatory meanings, not clauses in a construction law. It identifies the design as Tonga’s national, state and merchant flag.
The Royal Arms and Flag Act, sections 2–3, regulates uses in business or professional contexts that suggest authorization and limits what a grant of authority permits. Section 4 reserves the distinct Royal Ensign to the monarch’s presence. Copyright status and flag-use rules are separate matters.
Historical record
The Constitution’s opening dates its grant by King George Tupou I to 4 November 1875. This is the secure constitutional milestone used in this record. It protects an already identified flag rather than setting out a new construction schedule.
Flags of the World reports introduction in 1866 and continued use during the British protected-state period, 1900–1970. No original 1866 instrument was verified here; the earlier date is therefore distinguished from constitutional adoption. Earlier designs are outside this current-design record.
Designer attribution is not settled by the primary documents consulted. Store norske leksikon credits Shirley Waldemar Baker with King George Tupou; this record does not assign an independently verified designer.
Source trail
Attorney General: Constitution of Tonga, 2020 Revised Edition ↗ — opening grant date, page 7; clause 47, page 18: legal name, permanent national status and distinction from the Royal Ensign.
Attorney General: Royal Arms and Flag Act, 2020 Revised Edition ↗ — commencement 30 October 1962; sections 2–4 on use; no dimensioned flag schedule.
Store norske leksikon: Tongas flagg og våpen ↗ — Lars Roede, updated 1 February 2026; design, ratio, adoption, functions and symbolism.
Flags of the World: Tonga ↗ — reference construction alternatives, shade differences and earlier use; Album and Flag Institute details consulted through this secondary transcription.
Commons: artwork history and public-domain declaration ↗ · Retrieved Commons-derived SVG ↗ · Local rights, provenance and checksum →
