Flag of Malta source of the Maltese colours, inspiring the red and white shield used during the British colonial period. The George Cross originally appeared on the flag placed on a blue canton (see List of flags of Malta). The flag was changed on 21 September 1964 with Malta's independence when the blue canton was replaced by a red fimbriation the intention being that the Cross appear less prominent. The civil ensign shows a red field, bordered white and charged with a blank Maltese cross. Flag of Malta The flag of Malta () is a basic bi-colour, with white in the hoist and
Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands the Southern Hemisphere. Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands The flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands was first created in 2003; the flag was adopted on 6 April 2004. The flag is green, with a palm tree on a gold disc in the canton, a gold crescent in the centre of the flag and a gold southern cross in the fly. The palm tree represents the islands' tropical flora; the colours are Australia's national colours; the crescent represents Islam, the religion of the Cocos Malays who make up a majority of the population; and the Southern Cross is a symbol