Flag of the United Kingdom

Official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Capital: London Location: Europe Date of adoption: January 1, 1801 Proportion: 1:2

Flag formed by overlap of flags representing four countries, whose designs are the symbol of the cross of three patron saints:

• Flag of England – Saint George (red , in the middle, white background)
• Flag of Scotland – Saint Andrew (white, X-shaped, with blue background)
• The cross of Saint Patrick, which represents the island of Ireland (red, X-shaped, white background)

Northern Ireland does not have an official flag. To replace, the Flag of the UK has been used since 1972. To represent the nation at sporting events it is used the Ulster Banner.

Wales, which is also part of the United Kingdom was never represented in this flag for being regarded historically as a region of England, and thus represented in the Union Flag by the English flag. The Welsh, however, have their official flag whose design has a red dragon on background horizontally divided between white colors (upper half) and green (lower). Also they have their own cross, of Saint David (yellow in the middle on black background).

British Community

The flags of the former British colonies occasionally incorporated in themselves the UK flag, which can be seen on the flags of the territories still belonging to the country.

Upon reaching its sovereignty, some countries continued to use the UK flag as part of their national flags. All are in Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tuvalu.

The state flag of Hawaii, United States, also has the British flag at the top left of the flag, from the time when the region was occupied by the British.

It also appears on the flags of the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania; and the flags of the Canadian states of British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba.