Flag of Hong Kong

Facts about the Flag of Hong Kong

1. The five petals of the bauhinia flower each carry a star, and the flower is shown in white on red rather than in its natural purple-pink.
2. The design was chosen in 1990 after a competition that attracted several thousand entries, none of which was used directly.
3. The flag of Hong Kong was officially adopted on April 4, 1990. It was designed by Tao Ho.
4. The flag in its present form is 36 years old as of 2026.
5. Design type: Red field with a stylised white bauhinia flower.
6. The official proportions are 2:3. It shares that ratio with 83 national flags.
7. The flag uses 2 colours: red and white.
8. The red on the flag stands for the field, matching the flag of China.
9. The white on the flag stands for the bauhinia flower.
10. Bauhinia blakeana: The region’s emblematic flower, with five petals each carrying a red star.
11. Red and white together: The principle of “one country, two systems”.
12. The design belongs to the "Plain field with a central emblem" family, shared with 70 other flags in this reference.
13. Flags most often confused with it: Arkansas, Aruba and Belize.
14. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, administered by China, under the one country, two systems principle.
15. Football and rugby sevens are the most followed sports, alongside horse racing.
16. The flag is flown everywhere on 1 July, Establishment Day.
17. The capital is City of Victoria. The currency is the Hong Kong dollar (HKD).
18. It covers 1,104 km² and has a population of about 7,451,000 (2018 est.).