Flag of Australia
Official Palette
Symbolism
The Union Jack in the canton acknowledges Australia's historical ties to Great Britain. The large Commonwealth Star (seven points) represents the six original states and the territories. The five stars on the fly side represent the Southern Cross constellation, visible in the Australian night sky.
History
The design was chosen from a 1901 public competition following the Federation of Australia. It was officially approved by King Edward VII in 1903, and the current 7-pointed Commonwealth Star version was adopted in 1908.
Construction
A blue ensign in a 1:2 ratio. The Union Jack occupies the upper hoist quarter, the Commonwealth Star is centered in the lower hoist quarter, and the Southern Cross occupies the fly half.
Country Specifications
- Capital
- Canberra
- Population
- 26.7M
- Languages
- English
- Continent
- Oceania
- Landlocked
- No
- ISO 3166-1
- AU
Flag Identification
- Adopted
- September 3, 1901
- Designer
- Annie Dorrington, Ivor Evans, Leslie Hawkins, Egbert John Nuttall, William Smedley
- Proportions
- 1:2 (≈0.50)
- Total Colors
- 3
- Key Symbols
- Canton, Central emblem
Flags with resemblance
Visually close designs — compare colors and emblems, or try similarities mode.
Related flags
Practice
Test yourself on flags from Oceania — same images as this page, no account needed.