Flag of North Carolina

Facts about the Flag of North Carolina

1. The two dates on the flag are 20 May 1775 and 12 April 1776, marking the disputed Mecklenburg Declaration and the Halifax Resolves respectively.
2. The first of the two remains historically contested — no original document survives — and its presence on the flag has been argued over since it was added.
3. The flag of North Carolina was officially adopted on March 9, 1885.
4. The flag in its present form is 141 years old as of 2026.
5. Design type: Blue hoist band with a star and scrolls, and red and white bands.
6. The official proportions are 2:3. It shares that ratio with 83 national flags.
7. The flag uses 4 colours: blue, white, red and gold.
8. The blue on the flag stands for the hoist band.
9. The white on the flag stands for the upper band and star.
10. The red on the flag stands for the lower band.
11. Two dates: 20 May 1775 for the Mecklenburg Declaration and 12 April 1776 for the Halifax Resolves.
12. Letters N and C: Flanking the white star for the state.
13. The design belongs to the "Combined horizontal and vertical bands" family, shared with 6 other flags in this reference.
14. Flags most often confused with it: Benin, Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau.
15. North Carolina joined the Union on 21 November 1789, as the 12th state.
16. Stock car racing is the official state sport.
17. The state is nicknamed The Tar Heel State.
18. The state bird is the northern cardinal.