What is the british flag called why

Why is the United Kingdom flag called the Union Jack?

This article was updated by the Great British Mag team on 27 January 2021.

You may or may not know our flag has evolved as the different countries that now make up to United Kingdom came under the ruling of England. In the 16th century, the flag was known as the British flag or the flag of Britain. It included the red cross of St George (England) and the blue saltire of St Andrew (Scotland). So why is it known as the Union Jack now?

The name ‘Union’ first appeared in 1625. There are various theories as to how it got its name. The most plausible one is that when a small flag was mounted on the front of a warship (and a selected number of other ships), it was called ‘the Jack’.

Evolution of the Union Jack

Sometime around 1674 the British flag became formally known as the ‘Union Jack’ when mounted on a warship and the ship was not in harbour. At the same time the British flag was referred to as the ‘Union flag’ on land. This rule was relaxed by the early 19th century when the sailing term could be used when referring to the national flag everywhere.

The first version of the flag was created in 1606, featuring only the English and Scottish flags

The Union Jack was amended in 1801 to incorporate the cross of St. Patrick (Ireland). And if you’re wondering why the Welsh flag was never incorporated into the Union Jack, it is because it was already a principality of England by 1801.

Elements of the UK flag

Flags in Wales

In Wales you may see two flags flying, including the red dragon on a green background and the yellow St Davids Cross.

The Welsh flag St Davids Flag, Patron Saint of Wales

Careful when you place the Union Jack

Make sure you hang the flag up the right way. An upside-down Union Flag is used as a sign of distress. Even worse, it can be seen as an offensive gesture!

Tip: Always make sure that the red line in the top-left corner is at the bottom of the white cross.

Flag of the country. Биболетова 9 класс

Биболетова 9 класс, Unit 2, Section 4, p. 94, ex. 99.
Flag of the country – Флаг страны

Ex. 99 Discuss the questions in your group. Talk about the flag of the country you are researching. – Обсудите вопросы в группе. Расскажите о флаге страны, которую вы исследуете.

• What is the flag called? Why? – Как называется флаг? Почему?
• What are the colours of the flag? What do they stand for? – Цвета флага? Что они означают?
• What changes has the flag gone through over the years? – Какие изменения претерпел флаг с течением времени?
• What proper names have you seen in the columns? – Какие имена собственные вы встретили?
• How do the proper names, design and colours reflect the history of the country? – Как имена собственные, дизайн и цвета влияли на историю страны?

1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• The flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is called the Union Jack. It is because King James 1 of England (or Jack in short) in 1603 united England and Scotland.
• The colours of the flag are: blue, red and white. The Union Jack is a combination of the crosses of the three patron saints of the country: the red cross of St George for England on a white background; the white diagonal cross of St Andrew for Scotland on a blue background; the red diagonal cross of St Patrick for Ireland on a white background.
• Since 1603, the flag of the country has combined the two flags of England and Scotland. Wales was not represented in the flag because at the time the flag appeared in 1606, Wales was already united with England.
• Later in 1801, there was the union with Ireland. Now the flag combines the emblems of the three countries (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland) united under one monarch.
• England — King James 1, Scotland — St George, Wales — St Andrew, Northern Ireland — St Patrick.
• England is the largest historic part of the UK. The capital is London.
• Scotland is the historic part of the UK which was united with the country in 1603. The capital is Edinburgh.
• Wales is the historic part of the UK which was united with the country in 1536. The capital is Cardiff.
• Northern Ireland is the historic part of the UK which united with the country in 1801. The capital is Belfast.
• King James 1 was Queen Elizabeth’s nephew and son of Mary Stuart of Scotland and became the King of England and Scotland in 1603 after Queen Elizabeth’s death.
• St George is patron saint of England.
• St Andrew is patron saint of Scotland.
• St Patrick is patron saint of Northern Ireland.

Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии
• Флаг Соединенного Королевства Великобритании и Северной Ирландии называется Юнион Джек. Потому что король Англии Джеймс 1 (или проще Джек) в 1603 объединил Англию и Шотландию.
• Цвета флага: синий, красный и белый. Юнион Джек представляет собой сочетание крестов трех святых покровителей страны: красный крест на белом фоне — Святого Георгия в Англии; белый диагональный крест на синем фоне — Святого Андрея в Шотландии; Красный диагональный крест на белом фоне — Святого Патрика в Ирландии.
• С 1603, флаг страны сочетал в себе два флага Англии и Шотландии. Уэльс не был представлен на флаге, потому что когда флаг появился в 1606, Уэльс уже объединилися с Англией.
• Позже в 1801 году, было объединение с Ирландией. Теперь флаг объединяет эмблемы трех стран (Англия, Шотландия и Северная Ирландия), объединенных под одним монархом.
• Англия – Король Джеймс 1, Шотландия – Святой Георгий, Уэльс – Святой Андрей, Северная Ирландия — Святой Патрик.
• Англия является крупнейшей исторической частью Великобритании. Столица: Лондон.
• Шотландия является исторической частью Великобритании, которая была объединена со страной в 1603 году. Столица Эдинбург.
• Уэльс является исторической частью Великобритании, которая была объединена со страной в 1536 году. Столица Кардифф.
• Северная Ирландия является исторической частью Великобритании, которая объединилась со страной в 1801 году. Столица Белфаст.
• Король Джеймс 1 был племянником королевы Елизаветы и сыном Марии Стюарт из Шотландии и стал королем Англии и Шотландии в 1603 году после смерти королевы Елизаветы.
• Святой Георгий — покровитель Англии.
• Святой Андрей покровитель Шотландии.
• Святой Патрик покровитель Северной Ирландии.

2. The United States of America
• The flag of the United States of America is called “The stars and stripes” because it consists of fifty stars which represent the fifty states. Thirteen red and white horizontal stripes (seven red and six white) signify the original thirteen States that were united in 1776.
• The colours of the flag are: blue, red and white because the United States of America was the colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland whose flag had the same colours.
• The first flag was called The Grand Union Flag. It combined the flag of Great Britain and thirteen stripes. It showed that these first thirteen states were British colonies. After the War of Independence all thirteen states became free and the flag changed. The British flag in the corner was replaced by stars. Every time a new state entered the Union, a star was added. So now we can see the thirteen stripes as representing the original number of states in 1776 and the 50 stars representing today’s total.
• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.
• These proper names show that the United States of America was once under British control.

Соединенные Штаты Америки
• Флаг Соединенных Штатов Америки называется «Звезды и полосы», потому что он состоит из пятидесяти звезд, которые представляют пятьдесят штатов. Тринадцать красных и белых горизонтальные полосы (семь красных и шесть белых) означают тринадцать государств, которые были объединены в 1776 году.
• Цвета флага: синий, красный и белый, потому что Соединенные Штаты Америки были колонией Соединенного Королевства Великобритании и Северной Ирландии, на флаге которого были те же самые цвета.
• Первый флаг был назван Гранд Юнион флаг. Он сочетал флаг Великобритании и тринадцать полос. Это показывало, что первые тринадцать государств были британскими колониями. После войны за независимость все тринадцать государств стали свободными и флаг изменился. Британский флаг в углу был заменен на звезды. Каждый раз, когда новое государство входило в Союз, добавлялась звезда. Так что теперь мы можем увидеть тринадцать полос как представляющие исходное число государств в 1776 и 50 звезд, представляющих общее число.
• Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии и Соединенные Штаты Америки.
• Эти имена собственные показывают, что Соединенные Штаты Америки однажды были под британским контролем.

3. The Russian Federation
• The flag of the Russian Federation is called the Imperial flag because earlier our country was an empire with a monarch.
• It consists of three equal stripes of white, blue and red. The colours of the flag symbolise: white — frankness and generosity; blue — honesty and wisdom; red — courage and love.
• The first flag of this design appeared more than 300 years ago. Peter the Great adapted the flag from the national flag of the Netherlands. Later a black two-headed eagle on a golden background was added to the flag of Russia. The flag existed until the revolution in 1917. In the nineties of the XX century, the democratic changes restored the three-colour flag was restored again. On 21 August 1991, the flag was officially adopted by the Russian president and the Russian parliament.
• Peter the Great, the Netherlands
• Peter the Great: Peter I (1672-1725) was the Russian Tsar and the first Russian emperor (since 1721). Under him, Russia had been proclaimed the Empire and the Senate had honoured him with the titles of “the Great” and “the Father of Fatherland”.
• the Netherlands; the state in Europe

Российская Федерация
• флаг Российской Федерации называется императорский флаг, потому что раньше наша страна была империей с монархом.
• Он состоит из трех равных полос белого, синего и красного. Цвета флага символизируют: белый — откровенность и щедрость; синий — честность и мудрость; красный — мужество и любовь.
• Первый флаг такого дизайна появился более 300 лет назад. Петр Великий адаптировал флаг с национальным флагом Нидерландов. Позже черный двуглавый орел на золотом фоне был добавлен на флаг России. Флаг существовал до революции 1917 года. В девяностых годах ХХ века, демократические перемены восстановили трехцветный флаг. 21 августа 1991 года, флаг был официально принят президентом России и российским парламентом.
• Петр Великий, Нидерланды
• Петр Великий: Петр I (1672-1725) был русским царем и первым русским императором (с 1721 г.). При нем, Россия была провозглашена империей, а Сенат удостоил его званий «Великий» и «Отец Отечества».
• Нидерланды; государство в Европе.

What is the British flag called?

The British Flag

The official flag of Great Britain/United Kingdom is called «The Union Flag». But is better known and officially referred to by its common nickname, Union Jack.

The Union Jack represents the four countries of Great Britain in a union, which are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Union Jack is a combination of the English flag (Saint George Flag), Scottish flag (St Andrew Flag) and Northern Irish flag (Saint Patrick Flag).

The main red cross in the centre represents England (Saint George). The white crosses in the four corners represent Scotland (St Andrew) (before Ireland was added, these crosses were blue). The red crosses in the four corners represent Northern Ireland (St Patrick).

Wales does not have a cross on the flag, despite being a member of Great Britain, because Wales is a principality, not a kingdom.

What is the origin of the Union Jack?

In 1603 Queen Elizabeth I of England died. King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne and became King James I of England. It was a union of the two royal crowns.

In 1604 King James I proposed that both countries should be one united kingdom, rather than two separate nations. However both the English and Scottish Parliaments rejected this.

So, King James I gave himself the official title of «King James Of Great Britain», which officially united both countries into one kingdom.

However, the English hated the Scottish flag, and the Scottish hated the English flag. Therefore, to stop the two countries bickering, King James put the two flags together. At this time it was known as the «Flag Of Britain».

Later on in history another cross for Ireland was added.

Where did the name Union Jack come from?

Firstly it was nicknamed «The Union» by British naval officers who flew the flag on their ships, because it represented a union of nations under one kingdom. Soon enough, the flag officially became known as the Union Flag.

The name «Jack» represents the bowspirit which the flag flew from on naval ships.

The two were added together to form the nickname «Union Jack».

The Union Jack might be changing soon!

In 2007 Wales declared that they felt pushed aside by the United Kingdom because they are not represented on the Union Jack despite being part of the Kingdom.

There is a debate whether Wales should be added to the Union Jack. If Wales is added, the flag will look even different. An artists representation of what the Union Jack would look like if Wales is added, is below in the related links.

The Story Of The Union Jack: The National Flag Of The United Kingdom

The Union Jack flying high in the sky.

The United Kingdom, or Britain, is found in Western Europe. The UK is made up of the Island of Great Britain, Ireland, and other smaller islands. UK is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II being the sitting monarch. The UK consists of four countries including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Irelands with the last three having a devolved administration. The UK has several national symbols some of which are unique to its constituent countries. Some of the common national symbols include the national flag, national personification known as Britannia, National animals (Bulldog and Lion), Royal Court of Arms of the United Kingdom, national motto, and the national anthem.

The Flag Of The United Kingdom

The national flag of the UK is famously called the Union Jack or the Union Flag. The flag has degree of status in some of the Commonwealth Countries like Canada where it is considered an official flag there by the parliamentary resolution. The flag is also used in some of the smaller UK overseas territories as the official flag. The Union Jack also appears in flags of some of the nations and territories that were under the dominion of the British. The current design of the flag dates back to 1801 during the Royal Decree after the union of the England and Ireland. The flag is created with the aspects of three older national flags; St George’s Red Cross of the kingdom of England, St Andrew’s white saltire of Scotland, and St Patrick’s red saltire of the Irelands. The origin of the flag of the Great Britain dates back to 1606 when James VI united England and Scotland.

Origin And Use Of The Term “Union Jack”

Union Jack and Union Flag are used interchangeably to refer to the flag of the UK. Both terms are historically correct in the description of the national flag of the UK. England and Scotland remained independent kingdoms in the 17th century up to the passing on of Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1603. Since she died childless and was unmarried, the crown was given to James VI who was her cousin and also the king of Scotland. In 1606, King James VI ordered for the creation of a flag which bore the crosses of both St George and St Andrew. The resultant flag was the Union Flag or Union Jack with Jack as the short form of Jacobus which is a Latin word for James. When the first flag was established, it was just referred to as the British Flag.

No unique name was given to it during the royal proclamation. The word Jack was used before the 17th century as a description for the maritime bow flag. By 1620s, a small union flag was flown in the position of the maritime bow. By 1674, the flag was being referred to as Union Jack which finally became its official name. In 1801, King George proclaimed the new flag as the Union Flag. The Royal Navy which was also powerful at the same time also informed the name Union Jack given to the flag. The Navy Ship was commonly used by the UK and its colonies with the British ship using the jack staff or the pole for the flag and was attached to the bow of the ship. Winston Churchill who served as the prime minister of UK from 1940 to 1945 also referred to the flag as the Union Jack.

History Of The Flag

When James VI took over the reign in the Kingdoms of English and Ireland in 1603 and united the crowns, he asked for the establishment of a new flag as the representation for the regal union. On April 12, 1606, a new flag was established with the flag of Kingdom of England, and that of Scotland put together to create the flag of the UK and the first ever union flag. The royal flag was meant for civil and military ship of both kingdoms on sea only while the land forces were to continue using their respective flags. In 1634, the flag was restricted to use on the royal ships only by King Charles I. However; the flag gained regular in the Kingdom of Britain after the Acts of Union in 1707. The flag was finally adopted by the armies operating on land although the shade of blue used on the field resembled that of the flag of Scotland. The current flag has a dark navy blue which traces its origin from the Royal Navy’s Blue Squadron. The thin white stripe separating the red crosses from the blue fields is in line with the requirements of the rule of tincture where some colors like red and blue must be separate from each other. Wales was not recognized in the flag because it had been part of England since 1282. The Kingdom of Ireland was also not represented in the original version of the flag with the flag of the Protectorate between 1658 and 1660 escutcheoned with the Ireland’s arms.

The Status Of Union Jack

The flag is mounted on warships and submarines commissioned by the Royal Navy and also on air force vessels. The flag is worn at the masthead of a ship as an indication of the presence of an Admiral of the Fleet. No law recognized law make the Union Jack as the kingdom’s national flag, but it was upgraded to one through precedents. The use of the Union Flag on land by the civilians has been permitted, but the use at sea has been restricted to only the military. According to Lord Lyon, the Union Jack is the right flag for the people and the corporate bodies of the UK. In Australia, the Union flag was systematically replaced by the current national flag through the Flag Act of 1953. Union Jack is incorporated by four former British colonies as a part of their national flags. These colonies include New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Tuvalu. The flag was also used by the US in its first flag. There are designated days when the Union flag needs to be flown on buildings throughout the UK. Also, there are days when the flag is flown on specific places only.

Why is the United Kingdom flag called the Union Jack?

As you may or may not know our flag has evolved as the different countries that now make up to United Kingdom came under the rule of England. In the 16th century the flag was known as the British flag or the flag of Britain and included the red cross of St George (England) and the blue saltire of St Andrew (Scotland).

The name ‘Union’ first appeared in 1625. There are various theories as to how it became known as the ‘Union Jack’. The most plausible one is that when a small flag was mounted on the front of a warship (and a selected number of other ships) it was called ‘the Jack’.

Sometime around 1674 the British flag became formally known as the ‘Union Jack’ when mounted on a warship and the ship was not in harbour. At the same time the British flag was referred to as the ‘Union flag’ on land. This rule was relaxed by the early nineteen century when the sailing term could be used when referring to the national flag everywhere.

The first version of the flag was created in 1606, featuring only the English and Scottish flags.

The Union Jack was amended in 1801 to incorporate the cross of St. Patrick (Ireland). And if you’re wondering why the Welsh flag was never incorporated into the Union Jack, it is because it was already a principality of England by 1801.

In Wales you may see two flags flying including the yellow St Davids Cross and the red dragon on a green background.

And finally: Make sure you hang the flag up the right way. An upside-down Union Flag is used as a sign of distress. Even worse, it can be seen as an offensive gesture!

Tip: Always make sure that the red line in the top-left corner is at the bottom of the white cross.