The flag of Nunavut was proclaimed on 1 April 1999, along with the territory of Nunavut

Nunavut

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

 in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It features a red inukshuk

Inukshuk

An inuksuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland...

—an Inuit

Inuit

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 land marker—and a blue star, which represents the Niqirtsuituq, the North Star

Polaris

Polaris |Alpha]] Ursae Minoris, commonly North Star or Pole Star, also Lodestar) is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star....

, and the leadership of elders in the community. The colours represent the riches of the land, sea and sky. It was adopted following a process where input was sought from local communities and submissions were solicited from the Canadian public.

Symbolism

The flag of the Canadian territory

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

 of Nunavut consists of gold and white fields divided vertically by a red inukshuk

Inukshuk

An inuksuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland...

 with a blue star in the upper right. The colours blue and gold were selected to represent the "riches of land, sea, and sky", while red is used to represent Canada as a whole. The inukshuk, which divides the flag, is a traditional stone monument used to guide travellers and to mark sacred sites. In the upper right corner, 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.

History

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

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

 became a province in 1949 and was being created in a region with little flag history. In deference to the elders of the Inuit

Inuit

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 communities of Nunavut, the development of both the Nunavut flag and coat of arms was guided by their input. The process sought to give the public an opportunity to offer input into the colours and symbolism of the flag as well as to give local artists an opportunity to participate. Led by the Chief Herald of Canada

Chief Herald of Canada

Chief Herald of Canada is the title held by the head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The Chief Herald of Canada directs the operations of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and makes the grants of arms. There are exceptions to this, such as certain grants made directly by the Governor General. The...

, a group developing the flag visited a number of communities to seek input and learn about local culture, including Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake

Baker Lake, Nunavut

Baker Lake , is a hamlet in the Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut on mainland Canada. Located inland from Hudson Bay, it is near the nation's geographical centre, and is notable for being the Canadian Arctic's sole inland community...

, Cape Dorset, Iqaluit, and Pangnirtung.

The group then put out a call for submissions across all of Canada, and received over 800. These submissions were reviewed and winnowed by a committee made up of artists and local elders who chose ten finalists. From the symbols and colours of these ten finalists, five draft designs of the flag were developed. They were assisted in drafting these by local Inuit artist Andrew Qappik

Andrew Qappik

Andrew Qappik is a Canadian Inuit graphic artist currently residing in Pangnirtung, Nunavut. Qappik is known for his printmaking and his contribution to the Nunavut Coat of arms....

. The final version of the flag was reviewed and accepted by the commission responsible for its adoption as well as the Governor General of Canada

Governor General of Canada

The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...

 and Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

. It was officially unveiled on 1 April 1999, the day when both the territory and government of Nunavut became official.

Following its adoption, the flag has been criticized for vexillological reasons. Specifically, it has been criticized for having too many colours, the placement of the star at the end of the flag, the use of gold and white as the background field, and the use of a black outline around the inukshuk.