Flag of Hawaii

Hawaii
Flag of Hawaii
Ka Hae Hawaiʻi
UseCivil and state flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion1:2
AdoptedDecember 29, 1845; 178 years ago (1845-12-29)
DesignEight alternating horizontal stripes of white, red, and blue, with the United Kingdom's Union Flag (ratio 4:7) in the canton
Designed byAlexander Adams

The flag of Hawaii was first adopted in the early 19th century by the Hawaiian Kingdom and continued to be used after its overthrow in 1893. It is the only U.S. state flag to feature a foreign country's national flag—that of the Union Jack—which commemorates the British Royal Navy's historical relations with the Kingdom of Hawaii, and in particular the pro-British sentiment of its first ruler, King Kamehameha I.[1][2]

The Hawaiian flag is among the most iconic and recognizable in the U.S., being noted by vexillologists for its design and aesthetics.[3] Its eight stripes represent the main islands of the Hawaiian archipelago; while the colors do not have any official symbolism, it is speculated that they reflected the symbols of other Polynesian kingdoms as well as the flags of the foreign powers that first visited Hawaii: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and France.[4]

  1. ^ Marshall, Tim (2017). A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols. Simon and Schuster. pp. 52–53. ISBN 9781501168338.
  2. ^ Bloss, Janet Adele (1983). State Flags. Willowisp Press. p. 66. ISBN 9780874061833.
  3. ^ Edward B. Kaye (10 June 2001). "2001 State/Provincial Flag Survey" (PDF). nava.org. North American Vexillological Association
  4. ^ "Flag of Hawaii | United States state flag". Britannica. Retrieved May 26, 2023.