^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Choiseul Province (Solomon Islands)

Lauru

image by Jens Pattke, 25 December 2008

Description

See also:

Provincial Flags (Solomon Islands)
Solomon Islands

Description

Choiseul Province is one of the nine provinces of the Solomon Islands. It lies between the island of Bougainville (part of Papua New Guinea) and Santa Isabel in the west of the Solomon Islands. It consists mainly of Choiseul Island with an area of 3 294 km² and further includes three small surrounding islands: Taro Island (100 km²), Vaghena (243 km²) and Rob Roy (200 km²). It has a population of 20,008 (1999). The capital is Taro, on Taro Island.

The flag has horizontal stripes of different widths. The stripes symbolize :
- blue = Pacific
- yellow = Land of Choiseul Island
- green = flora and vegetation .
- red = fauna
- black = Melanesian people

The white stars represent the church districts (parish): North West, North East, Upper South Choiseul and South Choiseul. In the center is a white circle with a black Kuvojo (or Kukuvojo). The Kuvojo is the Choiseul Crested Pigeon (Microgoura meeki), a presumably extinct pigeon which was only known on the Solomon island of Choiseul in the Pacific.
Jens Pattke, 25 December 2008

Based on http://www.mpgis.gov.sb/index.php/resources/category/1-pgsp-newsletters there's some kind of "decoration" on the ring surrounding the bird which is facing the fly not the hoist. The ring on the flag used in the parade shown at http://www.sportingpulse.com/gallery.cgi?g=2452&e=3511&et=1&c=1-3511-0-0-0 obviously is plain but the bird indeed seems to face the fly.
Paraskevas Renesis, 13 February 2013

I guess at some point the people of Choiseul Province (Lauru) must decide which side of the flag the bird is "looking" at! In Jan. 2023 the new provincial government is taking office. The flag above their heads has the bird facing the hoist and inside a ring of stars:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10221059611394614&set=pcb.7578228308858492
In Feb. 2023 the flag hoisted for the province's 2nd appointed day has the bird facing the fly and inside a ring with decorative motifs: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=165137752953008&set=pcb.165138319619618

The same flag was carried by the province's team in the Solomon Games 2023 in March/April:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=132496483113371&set=pb.100090590583412.-2207520000
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=132496396446713&set=pb.100090590583412.-2207520000
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=791185992540569&set=pcb.791186959207139

Although the flag hanging above the podium in the Games is the first one with the ring of stars:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=698145412315326&set=pcb.698146795648521

P.Renesis, 9 November 2023