Flags and emblems
Official flags, seals and emblems, and what each part of them stands for.
The national flags of North America, Central America and the Caribbean: what each one shows, what its colours and emblem stand for in the country’s own laws, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it.
What the American flag means flown upside down, at half-staff, folded, reversed on a sleeve or in black and green, and what the POW/MIA and thin blue line flags stand for.
The flag of every US state as its own law describes it: what the seal, colours and stars on it stand for, when it was adopted, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it.
Each state’s official bird, flower, tree and motto, as its own laws name them, with when each was adopted.
The flags of states that govern their own territory but that many countries do not recognise: what each flag shows and what it stands for, with the state’s status in plain words.
The national flags of South America: what each one shows, what its colours, sun and stars stand for in the country’s own laws, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it.
The national flags of Europe: what each one shows, what its colours, crosses and arms stand for in the country’s own laws, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it.
The flags of places that are part of a larger country: England, Scotland and Wales within the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico in the United States. What each one shows and stands for, and how it relates to the national flag.
The national flags of Africa: what each one shows, what its colours and emblem stand for in the country’s own laws, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it.
The national flags of Asia and the Middle East: what each one shows, what its colours and emblem stand for in the country’s own laws, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it.
The national flags of Oceania: what each one shows, what its stars and colours stand for in the country’s own laws, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it.
About flags and emblems
Flags, seals and emblems are the symbols a government adopts for itself. The pages here say what each one is and what its parts stand for, from the government’s own laws and records. US state symbols gives each state’s official bird, flower, tree and motto, with the year each was adopted. US state flags has every state’s flag, what its seal and colours stand for and when it was adopted. US flag variants says what the national flag means flown upside down or at half-staff, folded, or worn on a uniform, and what the POW/MIA and thin blue line flags stand for. World flags has the national flags of the world: what each one shows, what its colours and emblem stand for in the country’s own law, and how to tell it from the flags that look like it, with England, Scotland, Wales and Puerto Rico in flags of territories and home nations and Taiwan and Kosovo in flags of partially recognised states.
Mottoes written for seals
All the states use seals and flags, the South Carolina Encyclopedia says, and many state mottoes were first written on a seal, long before any law called them a motto. Virginia’s “Sic semper tyrannis” is on the great seal adopted on July 5, 1776. South Carolina’s two mottoes were engraved on its great seal in 1777, and New York’s “Excelsior” is on the arms adopted in 1778. Nevada changed its motto with its seal in 1866, from “Volens et potens”, “willing and able”, to “All for Our Country”.
Why state flags are newer
State flags were not widely flown in the early years of the republic. The encyclopedia says they came into use mainly because of the Civil War, when Southern states needed banners to replace the United States flag and Northern states needed new regimental colours to identify their troops. South Carolina adopted its flag on January 26, 1861, shortly after secession, and official state flags came into common use in the decades after the war.
Seals and coats of arms
Some state seals show a coat of arms: a design centred on a shield, more or less in the tradition of European heraldry. A few states, among them Alabama, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Virginia, use a coat of arms that is different from the seal. Vermont’s statute puts the motto “Freedom and Unity” on a scroll beneath the shield, and Wisconsin’s puts “Forward” over the crest.
Birds, flowers and trees
Naming a state bird, flower and tree is a later habit, from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Kentucky named the first state bird, the cardinal, in 1926, and Texas the first state tree, the pecan, in 1919.
Sources
- State Symbols (South Carolina Encyclopedia), South Carolina Encyclopedia, "State Symbols", University of South Carolina Institute for Southern Studies (South Carolina Encyclopedia), Entry text
- Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth 2008-2009, Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to the Governor and General Assembly of Virginia, 2008-2009, "History of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth", Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia, History of the Great Seal; Facts on Virginia
- State Mottoes (South Carolina Encyclopedia), South Carolina Encyclopedia, "State Mottoes", University of South Carolina Institute for Southern Studies (South Carolina Encyclopedia), State Mottoes
- New York State Emblems (New York State Library), New York State Library, "New York State Emblems", New York State Library (New York State Education Department), State Bird; State Flag, Seal, and Motto; State Flower; State Gemstone; State Tree
- Little-known Facts of our Official State Emblems (Nevada Magazine), Nevada Magazine, March–April 2017, "Little-known Facts of our Official State Emblems", Nevada Magazine (Travel Nevada, Nevada Division of Tourism), Article text
- 1 V.S.A. § 491. Coat of Arms; Crest; Motto; and Badge, Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 491, Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), § 491(2) Motto and Badge
- Wis. Stat. § 1.07 State coat of arms, Wis. Stat. § 1.07, Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau), § 1.07
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 14, 2026. How we research