The flag, chosen in a local design competition, was adopted on independence day, 31 January 1968.

The design symbolically depicts Nauru's geographical position, with a star just south of the Equator.

[1][2] The stripe along with the star signifies the location of the island in the Pacific Ocean one degree south of the Equator.

[3] The separation of the blue flag cloth into two equal parts recalls the saga, that the first inhabitants were to have been brought to Earth from two boulders.

[1] The following twelve tribes are:[4] The blue signifies the Pacific Ocean,[1] while the white colour of the star represents phosphate,[3] a former major natural resource of the country.