Flag of United Kingdom

Western Europe · GB · Vector source, 4:3 aspect ratio

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Flag Name	Flag of United Kingdom
Country	United Kingdom
Official Name	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital	London
Continent	Europe
Region	Northern Europe
ISO Code	GB / GBR
Internet Domain	.uk
Calling Code	+44
Currency	British pound (GBP)
Official Language(s)	English
Demonym	British
Area	242,900 km²
Population	66,460,344 (approx.)
Coastline	Has a sea coast
United Nations Member	Yes

Official Flag Name	Flag of United Kingdom
Current Version Adopted	1 January 1801
Design First Used	1606
Flag Proportion	1:2
Flag Shape	Rectangular
Number of Colours	3
Main Colours	Blue, White, Red
Designer	Combination of the crosses of Saints George, Andrew and Patrick
Design Type	Superimposed crosses
Nickname	Union Jack
Official Status	Official national flag
Governing Authority	Government of United Kingdom

Colour	HEX Code	RGB	CMYK	Pantone
Blue	#012169	1, 33, 105	99, 69, 0, 59	No official Pantone reference
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0	No official Pantone reference
Red	#C8102E	200, 16, 46	0, 92, 77, 22	No official Pantone reference

Cross of Saint George	England, a red cross on white
Saltire of Saint Andrew	Scotland, a white diagonal cross on blue
Saltire of Saint Patrick	Ireland, a red diagonal cross, counterchanged so it is off-centre
Blue	Stands for the field of the Scottish saltire of Saint Andrew.
White	Stands for the saltire itself and the fimbriations.
Red	Stands for the cross of Saint George and the saltire of Saint Patrick.

Year / Period	Event
12 April 1606	The first Union Flag joins the English and Scottish crosses
1 January 1801	The Irish saltire is added at the Act of Union
1921	Retained unchanged after most of Ireland leaves the Union
Present	The flag remains in official use

Official Ratio (height : width)	1:2
Hoist (height)	1 units
Fly (width)	2 units
Layout	Superimposed crosses
Band / Stripe Construction	The design is not symmetrical: the red saltire is offset within the white
Construction Sheet Available	Yes
Governing Specification	Flag Institute guidance; no single statute defines it

Setting	Flown	Notes
Government buildings	Yes	Flown on official premises
Schools and public institutions	Yes	Common in daily and ceremonial use
Private and civil use	Yes	May be flown by members of the public
Public holidays and commemorations	Yes	Displayed on national days of remembrance
Armed forces	Yes	Carried by the military as a war flag or colour
Naval ensign	Yes	Flown by naval and merchant vessels
Embassies and consulates	Yes	Flown at diplomatic missions abroad
International sport	Yes	Used at the Olympic Games and world championships
United Nations building	Yes	Flown in the row of member states

Flag Type	Purpose	In Use
National flag	The primary flag shown on this page	Yes
Civil flag	Flown by private citizens and organisations	Yes
War flag	Carried by the armed forces on land	Yes
Naval ensign	Flown at sea by naval and merchant vessels	Yes
Air force ensign	Used by the air force	Yes
Presidential standard	Marks the presence of the head of state	No
Royal standard	Marks the presence of the monarch	Yes
Historical flags	Earlier designs no longer in official use	Yes

Years in Use (current design)	225 years
Adoption Date	1 January 1801
Earliest Recorded Use	1606
Designer	Combination of the crosses of Saints George, Andrew and Patrick
Nickname	Union Jack
Dominant Colour	Blue
Flags It Resembles	Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tuvalu carry it in the canton
Notable Feature	Superimposed crosses