Flag of Canada

Country

Flag of Canada uses canadian pale with a red maple leaf. Ratio 1:2, current adoption February 15, 1965 and design credited to George F. G. Stanley, with John Matheson.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Canada
Entity Type	Country
Identifier	CA / CAN
Region	North America

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	February 15, 1965
First Documented Use	1965
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Red, White
Designer	George F. G. Stanley, with John Matheson
Construction	Canadian pale with a red maple leaf
Common Name	The Maple Leaf

Documented Colour Values

Colour	Appearance	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Red		#D52B1E	213, 43, 30	0, 80, 86, 16
White		#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0

Design and Symbolism

Red	one of Canada’s two official colours since 1921.
White	the pale, and one of the two official colours.
Eleven-point maple leaf	The national symbol; the number of points has no meaning and was chosen because it stayed crisp in a wind tunnel test.
Canadian pale	A square-ended vertical band twice the width of the side bands — a division named after this flag.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of Canada

Canadian pale with a red maple leaf The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with canadian pale designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Canada is Red (#D52B1E) and White (#FFFFFF). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Eleven-point maple leaf: The national symbol; the number of points has no meaning and was chosen because it stayed crisp in a wind tunnel test; Canadian pale: A square-ended vertical band twice the width of the side bands — a division named after this flag.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1965. The adoption field for the present record is February 15, 1965. The designer is recorded as George F. G. Stanley, with John Matheson.

Additional flag context

The Great Flag Debate of 1964 ran for six months and more than two hundred and fifty speeches before parliament forced a vote. The maple leaf replaced the Canadian Red Ensign, which had never been formally adopted at all.

The eleven-pointed leaf is not botanically accurate. Earlier designs with thirteen points blurred at speed in wind tunnel testing, so the count was reduced until the shape stayed legible.

The vertical band twice the width of those beside it is now called a Canadian pale in heraldry, a term coined for this flag.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Canadian pale with a red maple leaf, a 1:2 proportion and the visible eleven-point maple leaf. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Canada — Specialist vexillological reference

Facts about the Flag of Canada

Canada is recorded as canadian pale with a red maple leaf.
The reference proportion for the flag of Canada is 1:2.
The stored palette for Canada contains Red and White.
The adoption field for this country flag record is February 15, 1965.
The design record traces first use to 1965.
George F. G. Stanley, with John Matheson is credited in the dataset as the designer of the flag.
Its construction is grouped with the canadian pale design family in this library.
Eleven-point maple leaf: The national symbol; the number of points has no meaning and was chosen because it stayed crisp in a wind tunnel test.
Canadian pale: A square-ended vertical band twice the width of the side bands — a division named after this flag.
The Great Flag Debate of 1964 ran for six months and more than two hundred and fifty speeches before parliament forced a vote. The maple leaf replaced the Canadian Red Ensign, which had never been formally adopted at all.
The eleven-pointed leaf is not botanically accurate. Earlier designs with thirteen points blurred at speed in wind tunnel testing, so the count was reduced until the shape stayed legible.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Canada

What does the flag of Canada look like?

Canadian pale with a red maple leaf, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Canada?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:2.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Canada?

The reference palette lists Red #D52B1E and White #FFFFFF.

What do the symbols on the flag of Canada represent?

Eleven-point maple leaf — The national symbol; the number of points has no meaning and was chosen because it stayed crisp in a wind tunnel test. Canadian pale — A square-ended vertical band twice the width of the side bands — a division named after this flag.

When was the present flag record for Canada adopted?

The adoption field in this record is February 15, 1965.

Who designed the flag of Canada?

The designer is recorded as George F. G. Stanley, with John Matheson.

Which design family does the flag of Canada belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with canadian pale designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.