Country flag
United Kingdom Flag
The United Kingdom's Union Flag combines red, white, and blue crosses in a layered diagonal and upright pattern. It is widely called the Union Jack and...
Where is United Kingdom?
The highlighted area marks the country on the world map.
Zoomed location
This country is small on the world map, so this inset shows nearby countries for context.
About United Kingdom and its flag
The United Kingdom's Union Flag combines red, white, and blue crosses in a layered diagonal and upright pattern. It is widely called the Union Jack and is one of the most visually complex national flags in the quiz.
Flag design and meaning
A red upright cross with a white border lies over a blue field. Red and white diagonal crosses sit beneath it, producing offset diagonal stripes rather than a fully symmetrical X. The offset diagonals are an important detail in the official construction of the flag.
- Upright and diagonal crosses: The combined crosses represent the historic unions of England, Scotland, and Ireland within the United Kingdom.
History and adoption
The design developed from earlier unions of the crowns of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Its present arrangement dates from 1801, when the cross associated with Saint Patrick was incorporated into the existing Union Flag pattern.
How to recognise this flag
- Check for both an upright red cross and offset red diagonal stripes on blue.
- The Union Flag is not a perfectly centred diagonal cross: the white and red diagonals are offset.
United Kingdom flag quiz context
On Name The Flag, the United Kingdom flag is currently grouped as very easy difficulty for quiz progression.
Players may also want to compare it with Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tuvalu, which can appear as plausible flag distractors.
Explore more country flags
Compare United Kingdom with other flags from the quiz.
