The flag of Kiribati features a red upper half with a frigate bird flying over a rising sun, and the lower half is composed of three wavy blue and white lines. The frigate bird symbolizes command of the sea, power, and freedom. The 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and Banaba (Ocean Island). The blue and white waves symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the nation's position straddling the Equator.