Canadian flag.

Also known as the maple leaf flag, or the single-leaf flag in French-speaking areas, it is the official flag representing Canada. The Canadian flag is a red flag with a white square in the middle. On the white square is a non-realistic red maple leaf with 11 vertices.

Since the 18th century, the maple leaf has been used as a symbol of Canada. The maple leaf was first used as a national symbol in 1868, when it appeared in the coats of arms of Ontario and Quebec.

In 1867, Alexander Muir composed the patriotic song "The Maple Leaf Forever", which became the unofficial national anthem of English-speaking Canada. In 1921, the maple leaf was added to the Canadian national emblem.

From 1876 to 1901, the maple leaf appeared on all Canadian coins, and Canadian coins after 1901 still retain the maple leaf pattern.

In the declaration of Canada’s national emblem in 1921, King George V proposed using red and white as Canada’s official colors. The red comes from the red of St. George's Cross on the English flag, and the white comes from the white that has been the symbol of the French royal family since Charles VII.

The number of maple leaf vertices is not strictly required. The number and arrangement of vertices selected for the current Maple Leaf Flag were selected from a variety of designs to produce the clearest version after wind tunnel testing under strong wind conditions.

In 1964, there was a discussion in Canada about whether to replace the national flag. Prime Minister Lester Pearson appointed a committee to resolve the issue. There were three options, and George Stanley's plan based on the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada was adopted. February 15, 1965, the day the modern Canadian flag was displayed for the first time, was designated as Canadian Flag Day.

Many Canadian official, government and military flags have a maple leaf in the upper left corner, or contain maple leaf elements.

History

By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as a symbol by the French Canadians along the St. Lawrence River.

At the founding meeting of the Société Générale in Saint-Jean-Baptiste in 1834, the maple leaf was one of many symbols that represented that society, and its popularity among French Canadians continued and strengthened. Montreal's first mayor, Jacques Viger, said in his speech that the maple tree is "the king of our forests; ... a symbol of the Canadian people."

The maple leaf slowly became popular as a national symbol: in 1868, it was included in the national emblem of Ontario and the national emblem of Quebec, and was added to the national emblem of Canada in 1921. Historically, the golden maple leaf represented Ontario, while the green maple leaf represented Quebec. ?

In 1867, Alexander Muir composed the patriotic song "Forever Maple Leaf", which became the unofficial national anthem of English-speaking Canada. The leaf appeared on all Canadian coins from 1876 to 1901 and remained on the penny after 1901. ?

In World War I, the Canadian Expeditionary Force's insignia was often based on a maple leaf design. The use of the maple leaf as a regimental emblem continued from the 1800s, with Canadian soldiers in the Second Boer War featuring the maple leaf on their sun helmets. ?

In 1957, the color of the maple leaves on the Canada Arm changed from green to red?—some maple leaves are often red even when budding in the spring, and there is no heraldic designation of seasonal colors.

The maple leaf became the central national symbol with the introduction of the Canadian flag in 1965 (suggested by George F. G. Stanley and sponsored by MP John Matheson), which used a highly stylized eleven-pointed maple leaf, referring to There is no specific type of maple tree.

Early official maple leaf designs often used more than 30 points and short stems.

A universal maple was chosen, representing ten maple species native to Canada—at least one of these species grows natively in each province. The maple leaf is currently used on the Canadian flag and the federal government as a personification and identifier on its website and as part of the government wordmark.