Flag of the United Kingdom (Union Jack)

Flag of the United Kingdom (Union Jack)

Construction sheet: Flag of the United Kingdom (Union Jack)
Construction sheet

Description

  • The Union Jack combines the red cross of St. George (England), the white saltire of St. Andrew (Scotland),
  • and the red saltire of St. Patrick (Ireland) on a blue field. The current design was adopted on 1 January 1801
  • following the Acts of Union with Ireland. It is one of the world's most recognizable flags
  • Construction: the Union Flag combines the crosses of St George (red on white, England), St Andrew (white saltire on blue, Scotland), and St Patrick (red saltire on white, Ireland)
  • The red saltire is offset (counterchanged) so it does not overlap the white saltire, preserving symmetry
  • The flag has no official standard; convention uses 1:2 or 3:5

Trivia

  • The Union Jack is asymmetric — the red diagonal stripes are offset (counterchanged) so as not to overlap the white Scottish saltire
  • The flag combines the crosses of St. George (England), St. Andrew (Scotland), and St. Patrick (Ireland)
  • The Union Jack dates to 1801 and represents the unity of the United Kingdom

Flag of the United Kingdom

The Union Jack combines the red cross of St George (England), the white saltire of St Andrew (Scotland), and the red saltire of St Patrick (Ireland) on a blue field. The current design was adopted on 1 January 1801 following the Acts of Union with Ireland, making it one of the world's most recognisable flags.

The flag is subtly asymmetric -- the red diagonal stripes are offset (counterchanged) so as not to overlap the white Scottish saltire. Blue represents the sea and naval tradition, red represents military strength and valour, and white represents peace and honesty. The design has influenced dozens of flags in former British colonies and overseas territories.

json:data 
{
  "title": "Flag of the United Kingdom (Union Jack)",
  "ratio": "1:2",
  "use": {
    "as": "national flag",
    "since": "1801-01-01"
  },
  "colors": [
    {
      "color": "blue (Royal Blue)",
      "hex": "#00247D",
      "cmyk": "100/72/0/18",
      "pantone": "280 C",
      "note": "The field; represents the sea and naval tradition. Also the blue of St Andrew's Saltire for Scotland."
    },
    {
      "color": "red",
      "hex": "#CF142B",
      "cmyk": "0/91/76/6",
      "pantone": "186 C",
      "note": "The crosses of St George (England) and St Patrick (Ireland); represents military strength and valour."
    },
    {
      "color": "white",
      "hex": "#FFFFFF",
      "cmyk": "0/0/0/0",
      "note": "Fimbriations and the Cross of St Andrew (Scotland); represents peace and honesty."
    }
  ],
  "desc": "- The Union Jack combines the red cross of St. George (England), the white saltire of St. Andrew (Scotland),\n - and the red saltire of St. Patrick (Ireland) on a blue field. The current design was adopted on 1 January 1801\n - following the Acts of Union with Ireland. It is one of the world's most recognizable flags\n - **Construction:** the Union Flag combines the crosses of St George (red on white, England), St Andrew (white saltire on blue, Scotland), and St Patrick (red saltire on white, Ireland)\n - The red saltire is offset (counterchanged) so it does not overlap the white saltire, preserving symmetry\n - The flag has no official standard; convention uses 1:2 or 3:5",
  "article": "uk/flag.md",
  "of": {
    "country": "uk"
  },
  "countryData": {
    "name": "United Kingdom",
    "officialName": "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland",
    "un": "member"
  },
  "cs": "uk/flag.cs.svg",
  "trivia": "- The Union Jack is asymmetric — the red diagonal stripes are offset (counterchanged) so as not to overlap the white Scottish saltire\n - The flag combines the crosses of St. George (England), St. Andrew (Scotland), and St. Patrick (Ireland)\n - The Union Jack dates to 1801 and represents the unity of the United Kingdom",
  "flag": "uk/flag.svg",
  "_name": "UK",
  "_namespace": "uk",
  "_namePart": ""
}
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