Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands
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| Name | Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands |
|---|---|
| Use | National flag |
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | 7 November 1968 |
| Design | A blue ensign with the Union flag in the top right hand corner and the coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands centre-right. |
The current flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands was adopted on November 7, 1968 and modified in 1999. Prior to this, the islands had several different flags either proposed or utilised.
Nevertheless, the Turks and Caicos Islands did not form a separate colony for the vast majority of this time. Instead, the islands were a dependency of Jamaica until 1959. In 1959, the islands became a separate colony but until 1962 and the independence of Jamaica, the Governor of Jamaica remained the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Between 1962 and 1965 the Administrator of the Turks and Caicos Islands reported directly to London and then between 1965 and 1973, the Administrator was subordinate to the Governor of the Bahamas who was also Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. In 1973, when The Bahamas became independent, the position of Administrator became Governor.
The flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands features a blue ensign with the Union flag in the canton, defaced with the coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the centre-right. The coat of arms, which was granted on 28 September 1965, takes the shape of a yellow shield which contains a conch shell, lobster, and a Melocactus. The Melocactus, which is visually similar to the traditional Turkish fez, give the islands the first half of their name.
Whether the lobster on the coat of arms should have eight or ten legs has been disputed. It has been suggested that the original version of the flag showed ten legs, as would be accurate due to the decapod nature of lobsters, and that the first pair of smaller legs were hidden under the antennae and were subsequently missed in later drawings. It is thought that the lobster present on the coat of arms is a Caribbean Spiny Lobster (panulirus argus), which does indeed have ten legs.
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