Flag of Yukon
Encyclopedia
The flag
of Yukon
, Canada
, 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 where 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.
branch of the Royal Canadian Legion
. A C$
100 prize was offered to the winning design. 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. A prototype
design was sent 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. The flag was adopted by a 'Flag Act' on December 1, 1967.
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. 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.
. 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.
, 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.
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 Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, is a green, white, and blue tricolour
Tricolour
A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...
with the coat of arms of Yukon
Coat of arms of Yukon
The Coat of Arms of Yukon was commissioned by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and designed by well-known heraldry expert Alan Beddoe in the early 1950s...
at the centre above a wreath of fireweed
Fireweed
Epilobium angustifolium, commonly known as Fireweed , Great Willow-herb , or Rosebay Willowherb , is a perennial herbaceous plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae...
, the territorial flower. An official flag for Yukon was created during the 1960s, a decade where 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.
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 WhitehorseWhitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
branch of the Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
. A C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
100 prize was offered to the winning design. There were a total of 137 submissions with the winning design coming from Yukon College
Yukon College
Yukon College is a community college in the Canadian territory of Yukon. Its main campus is in Whitehorse, Yukon. The college was founded in 1983, replacing the Yukon Vocational and Technical Training Centre, which had been in operation since the 1960s...
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. A prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
design was sent Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
for suitable heraldic description. An expert in Ottawa sent back an amended version of the submitted flag design. The committee in Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
however kept with the original design. The flag was adopted by a 'Flag Act' on December 1, 1967.
Symbolism
The flag is divided into three coloured panels:- 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
Coat of arms of Yukon
The Coat of Arms of Yukon was commissioned by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and designed by well-known heraldry expert Alan Beddoe in the early 1950s...
above a wreath of fireweed
Fireweed
Epilobium angustifolium, commonly known as Fireweed , Great Willow-herb , or Rosebay Willowherb , is a perennial herbaceous plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae...
, 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...
of the Yukon. The crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
of the Coat of Arms
Coat of arms of Yukon
The Coat of Arms of Yukon was commissioned by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and designed by well-known heraldry expert Alan Beddoe in the early 1950s...
is a Malamute
Alaskan Malamute
The Alaskan Malamute is a generally large breed of domestic dog originally bred for use as a utilitarian dog and later an Alaskan sled dog. They are sometimes mistaken for a Siberian Husky, but in fact are quite different in many ways...
sled dog
Sled dog
Sled dogs, known also as sleigh man dogs, sledge dogs, or sleddogs, are highly trained types of dogs that are used to pull a dog sled, a wheel-less vehicle on runners also called a sled or sleigh, over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines.Sled dogs have become a popular winter recreation...
, a common work dog in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, standing on a mound of snow. The shield of the Coat of Arms
Coat of arms of Yukon
The Coat of Arms of Yukon was commissioned by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and designed by well-known heraldry expert Alan Beddoe in the early 1950s...
contains at the top, a cross of St. George
Cross of St. George
thumb|Original Cross of St. George.Ist and 2nd class were in gold.The Cross of St. George ', or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George....
for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with a roundel
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
with a pattern of vair
Vair
Vair is the heraldic representation of patches of squirrel fur in an alternating pattern of blue and white. As a tincture, vair is considered a fur and is therefore exempted from the Rule of tincture . Variations of vair are laid out in different patterns, each with their own name...
(fur), called Roundel in Vair. 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.
Technical description
The flag of Yukon has a flag ratio of 1:2, equivalent to the flag of CanadaFlag of Canada
The national flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and , is a red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf. Its adoption in 1965 marked the first time a national flag had been officially adopted in Canada to replace the Union Flag...
. The centre white panel is larger by one and a half times the width of each of the other two panels, for a pale
Pale (heraldry)
A pale is a term used in heraldic blazon and vexillology to describe a charge on a coat of arms , that takes the form of a band running vertically down the center of the shield. Writers broadly agree that the width of the pale ranges from about one-fifth to about one-third of the width of the...
ratio of 1 to 1.5 to 1.
Terminology
In flag terminologyFlag terminology
Flag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
, the flag is a tricolour
Tricolour
A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...
, meaning it has three colours, in approximately equal size. However, it may not be considered a true tricolour
Tricolour
A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...
as it is defaced
Defacement (flag)
Defacement is a term used in heraldry and vexillology to refer to the addition of a symbol or charge to another flag. For example, the Australian flag is the British Blue Ensign defaced with the Southern Cross in the fly and the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter, beneath the Union...
, containing the coat of arms of Yukon
Coat of arms of Yukon
The Coat of Arms of Yukon was commissioned by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and designed by well-known heraldry expert Alan Beddoe in the early 1950s...
, where a true tricolour contains no additional symbols.