Antarctica does not have an official flag as it is a condominium with no single governing body. However, several designs have been created for the purpose of representing the continent.
Antarctic Treaty System proposal[]
The proposed flag used by the Antarctic Treaty System is a white map of Antarctica over a dark blue field with lines representing longitude and latitude counterchanged on top.
Whitney Smith proposal[]
In 1978, Whitney Smith presented an orange flag with a white emblem in the hoist at the 1978 annual meeting of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA). The letter A stands for Antarctica, the semi-sphere represents the area below the Antarctic Circle, and the hands represent human protection of the environment. For high visibility, he chose international orange, a color commonly used in the aerospace industry to set objects apart from their surroundings. The bright orange color was also chosen due to its rarity among national flags, as no nation with an active research base on the continent uses the color orange in their flag. The design elements are positioned on the hoist side of the flag so that it would remain visible even if the flag were damaged by the harsh Antarctic winds.
Graham Bartram proposal[]
In 1996, Graham Bartram, the chief vexillologist of British organization Flag Institute, designed another proposal for a computer program. Using the flag of the United Nations as his model, he chose a plain white map of the continent on a sky blue background to symbolize neutrality. The proposed flag has since been used as the emoji used to represent Antarctica (🇦🇶) on most supported platforms since 2015.
Since this flag is not flown in the real world, it is sometimes considered inappropriate to use Bartram’s flag to represent Antarctica.[1]
True South proposal[]
The True South flag proposal was designed by Evan Townsend in 2018. The flag has the following meaning:
"Horizontal stripes of navy and white represent the long days and nights at Antarctica's extreme latitude. In the center, a lone white peak erupts from a field of snow and ice, echoing those of the bergs, mountains, and pressure ridges that define the Antarctic horizon. The long shadow it casts forms the unmistakable shape of a compass arrow pointed south, an homage to the continent's legacy of exploration. Together, the two center shapes create a diamond, symbolizing the hope that Antarctica will continue to be a center of peace, discovery, and cooperation for generations to come."
The flag is named after geographic South, or "true South", which differs from magnetic south.
It has quickly gained popularity since its introduction. It has been adopted by some National Antarctic Programs, Antarctic nonprofits, and expedition teams; flown at several research stations across Antarctica; and was used in the 2022 marker for the geographic South Pole.
As this is the most commonly flown flag representing Antarctica to be flown, it is deemed appropriate to use.[1]