Canadian Provincial and Territorial Flags Quiz

The flag of Québec is called the Fleurdelisé, which translates as 'lily-flowered'. It was adopted on January 21st, 1948, and takes its symbolism from the Royal Flags of France: the white cross (found on French naval and merchant flags) and the fleurs-de-lis, representing purity. The blue field symbolizes heaven.

When Christopher Pratt designed this flag, which was adopted on May 28th, 1980, the official name of the province was still just Newfoundland. It was altered to Newfoundland & Labrador in 2001.

There is a lot of symbolism in this flag design. Beginning with the colours, blue represents water, white represents snow and ice, red is for human effort, and gold is for confidence in the future. The flag is intended to be reminiscent of the British Union Jack, pointing to the province's heritage, while the gold arrow/sword points to a brighter future, while also representing the military service of Newfoundland & Labrador's citizens. The two red triangles (representing the two named parts of the province) also join with the sword to form the shape of a trident, honouring the province's reliance on the resources of the sea.

Yukon's flag was adopted on March 1st, 1968, when the territory was still actually called 'The Yukon Territory' (the name was shortened to just 'Yukon' in 2002).

The flag is centered by Yukon's official coat of arms with a wreath of fireweed, which is the provincial floral emblem. The three colours on the flag represent Yukon's forests (green), snow (white), and lakes & rivers (blue).

B.C.'s flag was adopted on June 14th, 1960, and reflects the provincial coat of arms. Interestingly, the original design had the British Union Jack below the sun and waves, but this was at odds with the concept of "The sun never sets on the British Empire", so it was reversed.

Thus, the top portion of the flag has the Union Jack, with a crown in the center, representing B.C.'s status as a crown colony (before joining Confederation). The blue and white wavy lines represent not only the Pacific Ocean (blue), but also the Rocky Mountains (white), between which the province lies. And the sun, along with the aforementioned imperial meaning, references the provincial motto, "splendor sine occasu", which translates as "splendour without diminishment.

Adopted on May 11th, 1965, Manitoba's flag is essentially the 'Red Ensign' of the United Kingdom, but with the shield of Manitoba's coat of arms in the field. It follows the same design format of the 'Canadian Red Ensign', which was Canada's national flag (using the national coat of arms) prior to adopting the now-familiar red and white maple leaf flag.

On the shield is featured the Cross of St. George (signifying England as the founding colonial power) and the bison, signifying the important history that the bison had in the Prairies.

As with the flag of Manitoba, Ontario's provincial flag is modelled after the same 'Canadian Red Ensign', but with the shield of the coat of arms of Ontario on the field. This shield features three golden maple leaves, symbolizing Canada (and its three founding nations - England, France, and the Indigenous Peoples).

Ontario's flag was adopted on April 14th, 1965.

Adopted on March 24th, 1964, the flag of Prince Edward Island is very descriptive of the province's former colonial relationship with the United Kingdom. The golden lion at the top of the flag is the English heraldic lion, and was also on the arms of Prince Edward, after whom the island was named. And the island below the lion represents both P.E.I. and Great Britain, with the oak tree (representing England) sheltering the three smaller trees, which represent the three counties (Prince, Queens, and Kings) of the island.

Lastly, the outer edges of the top, bottom and right sides of the flag alternate red and white, which are the official colours of Canada.

On January 1st, 1969, the flag of The Northwest Territories was adopted by its legislative assembly. The flag follows the stripes pattern of the Canadian national flag, with the wide white stripe in the middle (the size of half the flag, and actually called a 'Canadian Pale'), but with blue stripes on either side. In the center is the shield of NWT's coat of arms.

The blue represents the territory's abundant waters, while the white is for its abundant snow and ice. The shield features three sections: the white at the top with the blue wavy line represents the Arctic Ocean and the Northwest Passage; the green field represents the forests with the gold rectangles signifying mineral wealth; and the red field represents the tundra with the white fox signifying the historical fur trade.

The flag of New Brunswick was adopted on February 24th, 1965 and is essentially the banner version of the shield of the provincial coat of arms.

At the top of the flag is the heraldic lion representing both England and Brunswick, while below that is an ancient galley, representing the province's connection to the sea.

Alberta's legislature adopted the flag on June 1st, 1968, featuring the shield of the provincial coat of arms on a blue field. The blue is the same 'Alberta Blue' found on the shield, and is one of Alberta's official colours, along with the 'Alberta Gold' of the wheat fields. Completing the landscape depicted on the shield are the mountains and grass prairies that the province itself straddles.

Nova Scotia's flag has a long history, having been flown as a pennant since the mid 19th century. Under a royal warrant, it became the official flag of the province in 1929, but would not be in provincial governmental legislation until 2013. Thus, while it is the oldest Canadian provincial flag, it was not the first 'official' one (that title goes to Québec).

The flag consists of a blue saltire (Cross of Saint Andrew) on a white field - in essence the reverse of the flag of Scotland - with the royal arms of Scotland in the center.

Saskatchewan's provincial flag was adopted on September 22nd, 1969. It is divided into two halves lengthwise, with the top half (green) representing the forests in the northern part of the province, with the bottom half (gold) representing the predominant grain fields in the south. Centered in the right half of the flag is a prairie lily, the provincial flower, and in the upper left quadrant can be found the shield of the provincial coat of arms.

On the shield can be found the heraldic red lion of England at the top, with a green field and three sheaves of wheat below.

Nunavut's flag came into official existence on the same day that Nunavut became a new territory, carved from The Northwest Territories on April 1st, 1999.

Centered by a red inuksuk, the flag's field is divided into gold (left) and white (right) halves, representing the 'riches of land, sea, and sky'. The red of the inuksuk is representative of Canada. In the upper right corner of the flag is found a blue star, representing both the North Star (Niqirtsuituq in the Inuktitut language), and the wisdom and leadership of the Inuit elders.