Flag of the State of California (Bear Flag)
Description
- The California Bear Flag features a white field with a California grizzly bear walking left on green grass,
- a red five-pointed star in the upper-left corner, and a red horizontal stripe along the bottom with the text
- 'CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC'. Based on the historic Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 during the Mexican–American War
- Officially adopted by the State Legislature on 3 February 1911
Trivia
- The California grizzly bear represents the strength and wild nature of the state
- The bear became extinct in California by 1924, making the flag a symbol of a lost animal
- The flag dates to 1846 during the California Republic period
Description
The modern state flag of California is white with a wide red strip along the bottom. There is a red star in the upper left corner and a grizzly bear facing left (toward the hoist) in the center, walking on a patch of green grass. The size of the bear is 2/3 the size of the hoist width and has a ratio of 2 by 1. The grass plot has a ratio of 11 to 1.† The five-point star is taken from the California Lone Star Flag of 1836.
The 1953 legislation defined the exact shades of the California flag with a total of five colors (including the white field):
- Seal is used for the dark shading of the bear, the 12 darker tufts in the
plot of grass, the border of the plot and the lettering "CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC".
- Maple Sugar is the base color for the bear.
- Old Glory Red is used for the star, the bear's tongue and the red stripe at
the bottom of the flag.
- Irish Green is used for the grass plot.
- The bear's claws are also accented with white. The left front and rear paws
have four white claws while the right rear claw displays three. The front right paw does not contain highlighting.
Trivia
- Flag of California is one of only four US state flags that does not contain
the color blue (the other three being Alabama, Maryland, and New Mexico).
† California State Library - History and Culture
json:data
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"title": "Flag of the State of California (Bear Flag)",
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"use": {
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"desc": "- The California Bear Flag features a white field with a California grizzly bear walking left on green grass,\n - a red five-pointed star in the upper-left corner, and a red horizontal stripe along the bottom with the text\n - 'CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC'. Based on the historic Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 during the Mexican–American War\n - Officially adopted by the State Legislature on 3 February 1911",
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