Iconic, stoic, and unmistakable, the Canadian flag is one of the most recognizable flags in the world. The flag features a simple, symmetrical design with a straightforward, 2-tone palette. The Canadian flag is the newest featured flag in our Flags of the World series.
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Without waiting any longer, here’s the history of the Canadian flag!
Design
There’s not a whole lot to cover here with the Canadian flag. To start, the flag is symmetrical on its vertical axis, which means it looks the same no matter which way the wind blows. Smart, Canada.
The flag features consistent and straightforward proportions as well. The maple leaf is exactly twice as wide as it is tall. The outside red rectangles are exactly half the width of the interior white portion.
Symbology
The maple leaf is a long standing symbol of Canada, dating back to the 18th century. The maple leaf first appeared on the coat of arms for Ontario and Quebec. The first mayor of Montreal, Jacques Viger said of the maple leaf “[it is] the king of our forest; ... the symbol of the Canadian people.”
It is often thought that the number of points on the maple leaf have a specific meaning. They do not. The number of points on the maple leaf is the result of rigorous wind tunnel tests to see what number and arrangement of flag points yielded the most clear maple leaf in high wind.
Conclusion
The Canadian flag is one of our favorites. Simple, straightforward and hard to forget, this flag has it all.
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