MICRONESIA, FLAG OF

national flag consisting of a blue field with four white stars in the centre. The flag's width-to-length ratio is 10 to 19. On United Nations Day, October 24, 1962, a flag was first hoisted for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), which, under United Nations supervision, was being administered by the United States. The colours of that flag, light blue and white, were based on those of the United Nations flag. Designed by Gonzalo Santos, the flag received final approval in 1965 based on a vote in the National Congress of Micronesia. The six white stars in the Trust Territory flag corresponded to the six districts of the countryPalau, the Marshall Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands (all of which later became separate states), as well as Yap, Truk (now Chuuk), and Ponape (now Pohnpei). The three latter island groups became the Federated States of Micronesia in 1979, together with the additional district of Kusaie (now Kosrae). The new Micronesian flag was designed and approved by an interim congress on November 30, 1978. Based on the design and symbolism of the flag formerly used by the Trust Territory, this flag presented four five-pointed white stars for the four districts (states), centred on a blue field for the Pacific Ocean. One ray of each star pointed away from the centre of the flag, as if arranged on an imaginary ring. Free association with the United States was achieved on November 3, 1986, and later a slight modification in the flag was made: dark blue was substituted for the United Nations blue of the original TTPI flag. Whitney Smith