Pink is undeniably a popular color, which is generally a combination of straight-up red and white. However, you just don’t see the color pink in national flags for any country. The only time it crops up is in newly designed flags that are more of a symbol than anything resembling national significance.
The reality is, there is no country now, nor has there ever been a country that utilized the color pink in their national flags, officially recognized or otherwise. However, there are a few flags out there that are close to being what you would consider “official.”
There is a unique history surrounding some of these flags and there’s also a lot of vitriol, at least in terms of the existence of these flags and their significance from a historical and national perspective in their respective countries.
Newfoundland and Labrador PWG
The PWG flag, merely an acronym for pink, white, and green, is a flag that sits in the middle of controversy. If you lived in Newfoundland, you would inevitably see shirts and other clothing apparel with this flag on them, usually accompanied by the words, “Republic of Newfoundland.”
Apparently, the flag is a representation of independence. The problem is, the flag has never been recognized as an official flag in any way, shape, or form. According to magazines, books, movies, TV shows, and other sources of media coming from the area, the PWG has a great deal more importance to it.
Apparently, it is a representation of Newfoundland’s independence and existence as a republic. Unfortunately, the “republic” part of that claim is untrue because Newfoundland has never been a republic nor does it have any aspirations to become one.
Origin of the PWG Flag
Despite what you might hear from those who live or have lived in Newfoundland, the PWG flag is not an ancient representation of anything. In fact, the stories behind it are multitudinous and varied.
Michael Fleming, a Roman Catholic Bishop in the mid-19th century, was said to have designed the flag on his own, with the pink bar of the flag representing England. Later, that story evolved once again.
Rather than just the involvement of Bishop Fleming, the Newfoundland Native’s Society was supposed to have played a hand in its inception as well. This society, shortened to NNS, did indeed exist, formed in the 1840s.
The NNS’s purpose was to further the rights of those who were born in Newfoundland (natives). The PWG flag was a culmination of Bishop Fleming’s and the NNS’s efforts to recognize the existence, power, and authority of native-born citizens.
Unfortunately, there is no historical evidence to support such a circumstance. None whatsoever. Further, the flag was never adopted, officially or unofficially, and never recognized in any way.
States that Have Pink in Their Flags
There are no countries that have pink in their national flags, however, there are states that belong to various countries and some of these states have pink in their flags. You could get away with claiming that there are two national flags with pink in them.
The thing is, they only have pink in them if the flag includes the country’s coat of arms and it’s pretty minute.
The Spanish Coat of Arms
Within the Spanish Coat of Arms, there is a lot going on. There are two columns wrapped in red ribbon and the two columns flank a shield that has four quadrants. Each quadrant of the shield contains a symbol.
One of those symbols is a roaring lion that’s wearing a crown, even though the entire shield has a crown resting on top of it. The roaring lion is pink from the top to bottom and it’s the only pink symbol in the entire coat of arms.
The pink is representative of a pink rose, as are most pink colors in any state or subordinate territory’s flag.
Turks and Caicos Islands Coat of Arms
The first thing you notice about the Turks and Caicos Islands Coat of Arms is the UK union jack in the top, left-hand corner of the flag. The entire flag is otherwise blue. However, on the right side of the flag, a bright yellow coat of arms is situated, holding three symbols.
The three symbols include a lobster, a skirt of grass, and a pink conch shell. It’s actually two shades of pink—the conch shell itself and the shadow it seems to cast.
Espirito Santo
Espirito Santo has a sub-national flag, as the area is a state of Brazil. The Espirito Santo flag probably has the largest and brightest pink bar of all the other flags across the world. The flag is a division of three bars. The top bar is blue, the middle is white, and the bottom is bright pink.
Alal-Jabad
Alal-Jabad is a city in Kyrgyzstan and it contains a lot of dark pinks. In fact, the entire bottom half of the flak is dark pink with a white circle in the union jack position that is bordered in dark pink.
Gua Musang
Last but not least is Gua Musang, a district located in Malaysia. This flag has four rectangles, two of which are pink and diagonally opposite of each other.
Cuscatlán Department, El Salvador
This flag has three horizontal bars in it. The top is blue, the middle is white (and the middle also has the state symbol within it), and the bottom is a darker shade of pink.
Krasnodar Krai
This flag has a pretty weird color combination, with blue encompassing the top bar, a much wider and dark pink middle bar, and an off-green bottom bar. All of this serves as the background for a large, goldenseal.
All Things Considered
As far as countries are concerned, there is very little to no pink in any national flag. However, cities, districts, or sub-nations sometimes have pink in their flags. The closest that any nation has ever come to having a large, pink representation in its flag is Newfoundland. Unfortunately, that was only a myth.
Outside of that, there are a few but the pink in the Spanish Coat of Arms and the Turks and Caicos Islands Coat of Arms is so small it easily goes unnoticed unless you’re specifically looking for it.
