Flag of the Day #2 – Nunavut

Nunavut is the Canadian territory that you’ve never heard of. That is, you’ve never heard of it unless you were paying attention in 1999 when it was separated from the Northwest Territory and ceded to an independent Inuit government. Occupying over 787,000 sq miles, Nunavut is vast but very thinly populated. Around 39,000 call Nunavut home or about the same population as little Dover Delaware.

Wikipedia says “The process of creating a flag for Nunavut began prior to its creation as a territory in 1999. This created significant excitement in the vexillographic community, as it was the first change in the map of Canada since Newfoundland became a province in 1949 and was being created in a region with little flag history.”

The inuksuk, which divides the flag, is a traditional stone monument used to guide travellers and to mark sacred sites. In the upper fly, the blue star represents the North Star (Niqirtsituk), an important object due to its key role as a navigational beacon, and as symbolically representing the wisdom and leadership of community elders.