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🇬🇧 Flag SymbolsFlags With the Union Jack On Them
The Union Jack — Britain's flag — turns up in the corner of dozens of other flags around the world, a lasting mark of the British Empire. It sits in the canton (the upper hoist corner) of four national flags, most British territories, and even one US state. Here's every flag that still carries it, and why.
The Union Jack itself combines three older flags: the red St George's Cross of England, the white diagonal St Andrew's Saltire of Scotland, and the red diagonal St Patrick's Saltire for Ireland. (Wales, famously, isn't represented at all.) When it appears in another flag's canton, it's a badge of shared history with Britain. Read the full story of the Union Jack →
🌏 The four sovereign countries
Besides the United Kingdom itself, just four independent nations still fly the Union Jack — all Commonwealth members that kept it after independence.
The one that surprises everyone: Hawaii 🌺 — the Hawaiian flag is the only US state flag to include the Union Jack, a legacy of early-1800s friendship between the Kingdom of Hawaii and Britain. Its eight stripes stand for the eight main islands. No other US state comes close to a design like it.
🏝️ British Overseas Territories
Almost every British territory flies a Blue or Red Ensign — the Union Jack in the corner with a local coat of arms on the fly. Several have colouring pages on FlagAtlas.
Also carrying it: Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha, the British Antarctic Territory and Akrotiri & Dhekelia.
The exception: Gibraltar — every British Overseas Territory flies the Union Jack in its flag except one. Gibraltar uses its own distinctive red-and-white banner with a three-towered castle and a golden key, based on its 1502 coat of arms.
🌊 New Zealand's associated states
Two self-governing states in free association with New Zealand keep the Union Jack too.
And zoom in further…
Below the level of countries, the Union Jack multiplies. All six Australian states fly it on Blue Ensigns; three Canadian provinces — British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario — keep it on Red Ensigns; and it appears on countless city, county and regional flags across the former Empire.
Why do so many flags have it?
The Union Jack in a flag's canton is, above all, a badge of British history. As colonies became self-governing they usually adapted the British Blue Ensign (or, for a few, the Red Ensign) — a plain ensign with the Union Jack in the corner and a local badge on the fly. Many kept that design even after full independence, out of tradition or genuine ties to the Crown; others, like Canada in 1965 and South Africa in 1994, replaced it entirely. Today it survives on four sovereign flags, nearly every British territory, and a scattering of states and provinces.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries have the Union Jack on their flag?
Besides the UK itself, four sovereign countries: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tuvalu. It also appears on most British territories and several states and provinces.
How many flags have the Union Jack on them?
More than 30 in use today — four countries plus the UK, most British Overseas Territories, the Cook Islands and Niue, all six Australian states, three Canadian provinces and Hawaii.
Which US state has the Union Jack on its flag?
Hawaii — the only one, reflecting early friendship between the Kingdom of Hawaii and Britain.
Which British Overseas Territory does not have the Union Jack?
Gibraltar — the only one, using its own red-and-white castle-and-key flag instead.
Why isn't Wales on the Union Jack?
The Union Jack combines the flags of England, Scotland and Ireland. Wales was already united with England when the flag was created, so it was never added — a common source of debate.
Related guides
Flag images via flagcdn.com. List of current flags in use; Gibraltar is the only British Overseas Territory without the Union Jack.