Flag of Australia
The flag of Australia is dark blue with the British Union Jack in the top corner, a large seven-pointed star below it, and the five white stars of the Southern Cross on the right.
At a glance
- Adopted
- April 14, 1954first flown on 3 September 1901 after a design competition; the seventh star point was added in 1908, and the Flags Act 1953 made it the official national flag in 1954
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:2
- Capital
- Canberra
- Continent
- Oceania
- Colours
- dark blue
- white
- red
What it means
- Union Jack: Australia's history as a group of British colonies
- Commonwealth Star: six points for the six states and a seventh point for the territories
- Southern Cross: a group of stars that can be seen from every part of Australia and helps show its place in the southern sky
Where it came from
When Australia's six colonies joined together in 1901, the new government held a flag design competition. It drew 32,823 entries. Five people sent in almost the same design and shared the prize: Ivor Evans, Leslie Hawkins, Egbert Nuttall, Annie Dorrington and William Stevens. Ivor Evans was a 14-year-old schoolboy.
The winning flag was first raised on 3 September 1901 at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. That date is now Australian National Flag Day.
History
King Edward VII approved a slightly simplified design in 1903. In 1908 a seventh point was added to the big star to stand for Australia's territories.
For many years ordinary people mostly flew a red version, while the blue one was kept for government use. The Flags Act 1953 made the blue flag the Australian National Flag in 1954. The red version is still used by merchant ships.
Fun facts
- The 1901 design competition had 32,823 entries.
- One of the five winners was a 14-year-old boy, and another was a New Zealander.
- Four stars of the Southern Cross have seven points, but the smallest one has only five.
- Each Southern Cross star is named after a Greek letter, alpha to epsilon, in order of brightness.
Easy to mix up with
New Zealand: New Zealand also has the Union Jack and the Southern Cross, but only four red stars with white edges and no big star
Fiji: Fiji also has the Union Jack in the corner, but on a light blue background with a shield instead of stars
Questions
What does the flag of Australia look like?
The flag of Australia is dark blue with the British Union Jack in the top corner, a large seven-pointed star below it, and the five white stars of the Southern Cross on the right.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Australia mean?
Union Jack: Australia's history as a group of British colonies; Commonwealth Star: six points for the six states and a seventh point for the territories; Southern Cross: a group of stars that can be seen from every part of Australia and helps show its place in the southern sky.
When was the flag of Australia adopted?
The current flag of Australia was adopted on April 14, 1954. (first flown on 3 September 1901 after a design competition; the seventh star point was added in 1908, and the Flags Act 1953 made it the official national flag in 1954)
What colours are on the flag of Australia?
The flag of Australia uses dark blue, white and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Australia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of New Zealand. New Zealand also has the Union Jack and the Southern Cross, but only four red stars with white edges and no big star
Famous landmarks in Australia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- en.wikipedia.org
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)