United Nations Flag

Facts about the Flag of United Nations Flag

1. The map uses an azimuthal equidistant projection centred on the North Pole, chosen so that no country sits at the centre and none is cut off at the edge.
2. The emblem was created for the 1945 San Francisco conference; the flag itself was adopted in 1947, and the map was rotated from its original orientation on the date line.
3. The blue was deliberately chosen as the opposite of red, the colour associated with war.
4. The flag of the United Nations, adopted in 1946. It has since become a general emblem of international cooperation.
5. The flag belongs to the United Nations. It is used worldwide.
6. It was founded on 24 October 1945.
7. It is based in New York, with major offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi.
8. It has 193 member states.
9. It flies at UN headquarters and offices, at peacekeeping missions and alongside national flags at many international events.
10. The flag was adopted in December 7, 1946. It was designed by Donal McLaughlin and team.
11. The design is 80 years old as of 2026.
12. Construction: Light blue field with a white world map and olive wreath.
13. It is normally drawn to a ratio of 2:3, which makes it rectangular.
14. The flag uses 2 colours: UN Blue and white.
15. The UN Blue stands for peace, chosen as the opposite of red, the colour of war.
16. The white stands for the map and wreath.
17. Azimuthal map: The world seen from the North Pole, showing all inhabited land and deliberately excluding Antarctica so no nation is at the centre.
18. Olive branches: Peace.