The flag

Flag

A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

 of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

features the armorial bearings (coat of arms

Coat of arms of Saskatchewan

The first part of the Coat of Arms of the Province of Saskatchewan , was the shield, which was assigned by royal warrant of King Edward VII on 25 August 1906. It uses the provincial colours, green and gold.On the gold chief is a lion passant or leopard, a royal symbol of England...

) in the upper quarter nearest the staff, with the floral emblem

Floral emblem

In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to adopt these symbols - some are conferred by...

, the western red lily, in the fly. The upper green half of the flag represents the northern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

 forest lands, while the gold lower half symbolizes the southern, prairie wheat-fields. The flag is constructed in the proportions 2:1.

History

The current flag of Saskatchewan was adopted on 22 September 1969, the result of a province-wide competition that drew over four thousand entries. The winning entry was designed by Anthony Drake of Hodgeville, Saskatchewan

Hodgeville, Saskatchewan

Hodgeville is a village in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, located approximately 34 km south of the Trans Canada Highway, 97 km southeast of Swift Current. It has a population of approximately 175 . The town was incorporated in June, 1921.-Demographics:In 2006, Hodgeville had a...

.

60th anniversary flag

In 1964, a special flag was granted to Saskatchewan in honour of the province's sixtieth anniversary. The Saskatchewan government organized a competition for a distinctive flag in anticipation of the 60th anniversary of the Province. It was recommended that the colours of the provincial coat of arms, granted by royal warrant in 1906, be included. The winning flag was selected out of 241 entries and was designed by Sister Imelda Burgart of St. Angela’s Convent at Prelate. The Diamond Jubilee Flag of Saskatchewan was first officially hoisted on January 31, 1965. The use of this flag was soon extended to the Centennial celebrations of 1967. For these events, the flag was widely flown as if it was the provincial flag, and indeed, its sponsors hoped that it would, in fact, become the provincial flag. The flag features a stylized stalk of wheat towards the staff and the provincial coat of arms in the upper quarter further from the staff. The flag's background is red in its upper half and green in its lower half. The symbolism of the flag's colours is similar to that of the official provincial flag: red symbolizes the fires that once ravaged the prairies, green symbolizes agricultural cultivation and life, and gold symbolizes the wheat fields. This flag appears in both 3:2 and 2:1 ratios, and it is not used officially.

See also

• List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols
• Symbols of Saskatchewan
  Symbols of Saskatchewan
  Saskatchewan is one of Canada's provinces, and has established several provincial symbols.-Symbols:...
  
  

External links

• Government of Saskatchewan, Tourism Saskatchewan: Quick Facts