Flag of Yukon

The flag of Yukon is a green, white, and blue tricolour with the coat of arms of Yukon at the centre above a wreath of fireweed, the territorial flower. An official flag for Yukon was created during the 1960s, a decade in which the national flag of Canada was chosen as well as several other provincial flags were created. The flag of Yukon was officially selected from a territory-wide design competition in 1967, with the winning design adopted on March 1, 1968.

Yukon
UseCivil and state flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion1:2
AdoptedMarch 1, 1968 (1968-03-01)
DesignA blue, white and green Canadian pale tricolour with the coat of arms of Yukon at the centre, above a wreath of fireweed
UseFlag of the Commissioner of Yukon

History

The flag of Yukon was officially adopted on March 1, 1968. The flag was chosen from a territory-wide competition as part of Canada's Centennial celebrations of 1967. The competition was sponsored by the Whitehorse branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. A C$100 prize was offered to the winning design.[1] There were a total of 137 submissions with the winning design coming from Yukon College graduate Lynn Lambert. Lambert submitted 10 designs of which one made the final three designs as selected by a committee, with his eventually being named the winner.[2] A prototype design was sent to Ottawa for suitable heraldic description. An expert in Ottawa sent back an amended version of the submitted flag design. The committee in Whitehorse however kept with the original design.[1] The flag was adopted by the 'Flag Act' on December 1, 1967.[3][4]

Symbolism

The flag is divided into three coloured panels:[2]

  • green representing Yukon's forests
  • white representing snow
  • blue representing Yukon's lakes and rivers

In the centre of the white panel is the Coat of Arms of Yukon above a wreath of fireweed, the floral emblem of the Yukon. The crest of the Coat of Arms is a Malamute sled dog, a common work dog in the Yukon, standing on a mound of snow. The shield of the Coat of Arms contains at the top, a cross of St. George for England with a roundel with a pattern of vair (fur), called Roundel in Vair.[5] Below in the middle of the shield are two wavy lines representing Yukon's rivers on a blue background. Finally at the bottom of the shield are two red triangles representing Yukon's mountains with gold circles in them representing the Yukon's great mineral resources.[6]

Technical description

The flag of Yukon has a flag ratio of 1:2, equivalent to the flag of Canada. The centre white panel is larger by one and a half times the width of each of the other two panels, for a pale ratio of 1 to 1.5 to 1.[7]

Terminology

In flag terminology, the flag is a tricolour, meaning it has three colours, in approximately equal size. However, it may not be considered a true tricolour as it is defaced, containing the coat of arms of Yukon, where a true tricolour contains no additional symbols.

See also

References
  1. Fraser, Alistair B. (1997). The Flags of Canada: THE YUKON AND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. Chap XX.
  2. Government of Yukon (2006). "The Yukon Flag". Yukon at a Glance. Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
  3. Yukon Council (1967), Ordinances of the Yukon Territory (PDF), First Session
  4. Christopher Southworth (2003-03-14). "The Yukon Flag". Yukon (Canada). FOTW Flags Of The World website. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  5. Canadiana Website. "Yukon - Flag". Provinces and Territories of Canada Flags, Crests and Official Symbols. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  6. Comox Valley School District. "Yukon Territory". Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
  7. "Flag Act" (PDF). Revised Statutes of the Yukon 2002. Government of the Yukon. 2002. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
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