Flag of the United States

Flag of United States
The national flag of the United States · 10:19

Thirteen horizontal stripes alternate red and white, starting and ending with red. A blue rectangle in the upper hoist corner — the canton — holds 50 white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset rows of six and five.

What Does the Flag of United States Mean?

The 13 stripes stand for the 13 original colonies that declared independence in 1776, and each star stands for one of the 50 states. The flag has changed 27 times as states joined; the last change came after Hawaii became a state in 1959.

Main colours: redwhiteblue

Flags That Look Like United States’s

  • Flag of Liberia

    Liberia. Liberia has 11 stripes and a single large white star in its blue canton.

  • Flag of Malaysia

    Malaysia. Malaysia has 14 stripes and a yellow crescent and 14-point star on blue.

Key Facts About United States

Official nameUnited States of America
CapitalWashington D.C.
ContinentAmericas (North America)
Land area9,372,610 km² — #4 of 195
LanguagesEnglish
CurrencyUnited States dollar
Flag coloursred, white, blue
Flag proportions10:19 (height:width)
Flag adoptedJuly 4, 1960 (the 50-star version)
ISO 3166-1 codesUS / USA / 840

Which Countries Border United States?

The United States shares a land border with 2 countries:

Play With the Flag of United States

Other Countries in Americas

  • Flag of Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and BarbudaSaint John's
  • Flag of ArgentinaArgentinaBuenos Aires
  • Flag of BahamasBahamasNassau
  • Flag of BarbadosBarbadosBridgetown
  • Flag of BelizeBelizeBelmopan
  • Flag of BoliviaBoliviaSucre
  • Flag of BrazilBrazilBrasília
  • Flag of CanadaCanadaOttawa
  • Flag of ChileChileSantiago
  • Flag of ColombiaColombiaBogotá
  • Flag of Costa RicaCosta RicaSan José
  • Flag of CubaCubaHavana
  • Flag of DominicaDominicaRoseau
  • Flag of Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicSanto Domingo
  • Flag of EcuadorEcuadorQuito
  • Flag of El SalvadorEl SalvadorSan Salvador
  • Flag of GrenadaGrenadaSt. George's
  • Flag of GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala City
  • Flag of GuyanaGuyanaGeorgetown
  • Flag of HaitiHaitiPort-au-Prince
  • Flag of HondurasHondurasTegucigalpa
  • Flag of JamaicaJamaicaKingston
  • Flag of MexicoMexicoMexico City
  • Flag of NicaraguaNicaraguaManagua
  • Flag of PanamaPanamaPanama City
  • Flag of ParaguayParaguayAsunción
  • Flag of PeruPeruLima
  • Flag of Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and NevisBasseterre
  • Flag of Saint LuciaSaint LuciaCastries
  • Flag of Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesKingstown
  • Flag of SurinameSurinameParamaribo
  • Flag of Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and TobagoPort of Spain
  • Flag of UruguayUruguayMontevideo
  • Flag of VenezuelaVenezuelaCaracas

Flag of United States: FAQ

What does the flag of the United States look like?

Thirteen horizontal stripes alternate red and white, starting and ending with red. A blue rectangle in the upper hoist corner — the canton — holds 50 white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset rows of six and five.

What colours are on the flag of the United States?

The main colours are red, white, blue.

When was the flag of the United States adopted?

The current flag was adopted on July 4, 1960 (the 50-star version).

What is the capital of the United States?

The capital of the United States is Washington D.C..

Which flags look like the flag of the United States?

Liberia has 11 stripes and a single large white star in its blue canton. Malaysia has 14 stripes and a yellow crescent and 14-point star on blue.

Data Sources

Country names, capitals, area, languages, currencies and borders: the world-countries dataset (ODbL), based on ISO 3166-1 and ISO 4217. Flag image: public domain, via flagcdn.com. Flag colours and proportions are measured from the image.