Flags with the Union Jack

About Union Jack

The Union Jack — the United Kingdom’s flag, formed by overlaying the crosses of Saint George, Saint Andrew, and Saint Patrick — appears as a canton on the flags of several Commonwealth realms and British overseas territories. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands and Niue all retain the Union Jack as a marker of historical ties to the British Crown. So do most British overseas territories: Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Pitcairn Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and others. The pattern, generally called a “Blue Ensign with a national badge,” reflects the British naval ensign tradition, where the Union Jack in the canton denoted a vessel sailing under the Crown. Several countries — including Canada, South Africa, and Hong Kong — have removed the Union Jack from their flags as part of broader decolonization, making the remaining flags a kind of historical record.