Adopted in 1977 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the protectorate, it has been the flag of Solomon Islands since 18 November of that year, eight months before the country gained independence.

[2] At the turn of the 20th century, Germany subsequently gave up their northern part to the United Kingdom in exchange for the latter's acceptance of German claims over Samoa and areas in Africa.

The revised version of 1956 saw the shield divided quarterly and displayed a lion, an eagle, a turtle, a frigate bird, and assorted weapons from the region.

[3][4] One of the submissions contained the nation's coat of arms,[3] while the initial winning design, by William Robson, an English civil engineer at the Public Works Department, had a blue field with a yellow circle, encompassed with chains and charged with a black frigate bird.

[4] Ultimately, the last design was created by a New Zealander teaching visual arts at the King George VI School,[4] in the eastern part of the capital Honiara.

[4] The stars stood for the country's provinces and not the Southern Cross,[4] unlike the flags of nearby Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa.

Having been voted as the favourite in an unofficial poll of more than 8,000 people, its blue, gold, and green colour scheme – together with its depiction of the Southern Cross – is noted for its conspicuous resemblance to that of the Solomon Islands flag.