Flags of New Caledonia
New Caledonian Flags
Two flags are in use in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia: the French national flag, which was the only official flag used to represent New Caledonia until 2010, and the flag of Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), a Kanak political party favouring independence for New Caledonia. A majority of New Caledonian communes, but not all, now fly both flags, the rest flying only the French flag.
Overview
The Nouméa Accord was a compromise agreement signed in 1998 by the French government and pro- and anti-separatist parties in New Caledonia. Among its provisions was the gradual recognition of five "identity signs" for New Caledonia: an anthem, a motto, local symbols on New Caledonian currency, a flag, and a potential new name for the territory.
In 2008, the government of New Caledonia debated the introduction of an official regional flag and anthem. A flag in fairly widespread unofficial use was the flag of the FLNKS, thus a highly controversial emblem, and the French flag remained the only officially used one.
In July 2010, the Congress of New Caledonia voted in favour of a non legally-binding proposal (known in French as vœu, 'wish') to fly both flags side-by-side in the territory. On 17 July 2010, French Prime Minister François Fillon took part in a ceremony in Nouméa where the FLNKS flag was hoisted alongside the French tricolour. This coexistence proved controversial, with New Caledonian member of the National Assembly Gaël Yanno describing it as "akin to raising the Palestinian flag over the Knesset". In the capital city Nouméa, the first raising of the FLNKS flag on the town hall happened without any ceremony, as the mayor refused to participate.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Flags of New Caledonia” is new Caledonian Flags. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Flags, Caledonia and Caledonian, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “new Caledonian Flags” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q693569. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2010, 1998 and 2008.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Flags of New Caledonia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.