Flag of Hawaii - wikipedia Flag of Hawaii State of Hawaii Name Ka Hae Hawai ʻi Use Civil and state flag Proportion 1 : 2 Adopted December 29, 1845 ; 172 years ago ( 1845 - 12 - 29 ) Design 8 alternating horizontal stripes of white, red, and blue, with a Union flag in the canton. The flag of the state of Hawaii ( Hawaiian : Ka Hae Hawai ʻi ) is the official flag for the U.S. state of Hawaii. The same flag had also previously been used by the kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory of Hawaii. It is the only U.S. state flag to feature the flag of a foreign country, in this case the Union Jack of the United Kingdom, a remnant of the British Empire 's influence on Hawaiian history. Contents 1 Design 2 Origins 3 Ka Hae Hawaii Day 4 Flag of the Governor 5 Chronology 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Design The flag of Hawaii flying in Haleakalā National Park The canton of the flag of Hawaii contains the Union Flag of the United Kingdom, prominent over the top quarter closest to the flag mast. The field of the flag is composed of eight horizontal stripes, symbolizing the eight major islands ( Hawai ʻi, Maui, Kaho ʻolawe, Lāna ʻi, Moloka ʻi, Oʻahu, Kaua ʻi, and Ni ʻihau ). Other versions of the flag have only seven stripes, probably representing the islands with the exception of Kaho ʻolawe or Ni ʻihau. The color of the stripes, from the top down, follows the sequence : white, red, blue, white, red, blue, white, red. The colors were standardized in 1843, although other combinations have been seen and are occasionally still used. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association ( NAVA ) placed Hawaii 's flag 11th in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state and U.S. territorial flags ranked. Origins Flag of the British East India Company Flag of Hawaii, 1816 -- 1845 Flag of Hawaii in 1896 There are various accounts of the earliest history of the flag of Hawaii. One relates how King Kamehameha I flew a British flag, probably a Red Ensign, given to him by British explorer Captain George Vancouver as a token of friendship with King George III. Subsequent visitors reported seeing the flag flying from places of honor, as it was then considered an official Hawaiian flag. An adviser to Kamehameha noted that the Union Flag could draw Hawaii into international conflict, as his kingdom could be seen as an ally of the United Kingdom, and he subsequently lowered the Union Flag over his home at Kamakahonu. While disputed as historically accurate, one account stated that in order to placate U.S. interests during the War of 1812, a flag of the U.S. was raised over Kamehameha 's home, only to be removed when British officers in the court of Kamehameha vehemently objected to it. This explains why the resulting flag of Hawaii was a deliberate hybrid of the two nations ' flags. In 1816, Kamehameha commissioned his own flag to avoid this conflict, which has evolved into the current flag. It was probably designed by one of the commanders of the Royal Hawaiian Navy, former officers of the British Royal Navy, who advised Kamehameha, based on a form of the British naval flag. There is debate as to the actual designer : some credit Alexander Adams, others George Charles Beckley. It was very similar to the flag of the British East India Company in use about this time which had only red and white stripes. Captain Adams used this flag for the first time on a Hawaiian trade mission to China in 1817. The original flag was designed to feature stripes alternating in the order red - white - blue, also attributed to various historical flags of the United Kingdom. The flag used at the first official flying of the flag of Hawaii erroneously placed the stripes in the order white - red - blue, although it seems explorers to the island disagree about the exact order of colors and the number of stripes up to the late 1840s. There may have been possibly different versions of the flag with different numbers of stripes and colors. The number of stripes also changed : originally, the flag was designed with either seven or nine horizontal stripes, and in 1845 it was officially changed to eight stripes. The latter arrangement was adopted and is used today. Ka Hae Hawaii Day In 1990, Governor of Hawaii John Waihee proclaimed July 31 to be Ka Hae Hawaii Day, the Hawaiian Flag Day. It has been celebrated each year since then. It is the same date as Sovereignty Restoration Day, a holiday of the Kingdom of Hawai ʻi that is celebrated by proponents of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. Flag of the Governor See also : Flags of the Governors of the U.S. States The flag used by the governor of Hawaii is a red and blue bi-color. In the middle of the eight white stars appears the name of the state in all capital letters. During the time Hawaii was a United States territory, the letters in the middle of the flag were `` TH '', which stood for `` Territory of Hawaii ''. Standard of the governor before statehood in 1959 Standard of the governor of Hawaiʻi Chronology Date Flag Image 1793 -- 1794 British Red Ensign 1794 -- 1816 Flag of Great Britain ( probably not updated in 1801 ) 1816 -- 1843 Early version of the present flag February 1843 -- July 1843 Union Flag ( during the Paulet Affair ) July 1843 -- May 1845 Early version of the present flag May 1845 -- February 1893 The current Hawaiian flag introduced in 1845 February 1893 -- April 1893 U.S. flag ( after the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii ) 1894 -- 1898 Hawaiian flag re-adopted by the Republic of Hawaii 1898 -- 1959 Hawaiian flag used by the U.S. territory of Hawaii 1959 -- present Hawaiian flag currently used by the State of Hawaii Gallery Personal Standard of the King Kalakaua Personal Standard of Princess Kaiulani 1868 flag chart Hawaiian quilt from Waimea, before 1918 See also Hawaiʻi portal United Kingdom portal United States portal List of Hawaii state symbols Seal of Hawaii References Jump up ^ `` Name and Insignia of Hawaii -- State Flag ''. Hawaii State Library. 2006 - 03 - 01. Archived from the original on May 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007 - 10 - 25. Jump up ^ BBC History, Jan 2008 Jump up ^ `` 2001 State / Provincial Flag Survey - NAVA.org '' ( PDF ). nava.org. Jump up ^ `` flag of Hawaii - United States state flag ''. ^ Jump up to : Quaife, Milo ; M.J. Weig ; R.E. Appleman ( 1961 ). The History of the United States Flag. New York : Harper. p. 154. Jump up ^ Henry Whalley Nicholson ( 1889 ). From sword to share : or a fortune in five years at Hawaii. W.H. Allen & Co. pp. 83 -- 85. ^ Jump up to : `` Hawaii : historical flags ''. Fotw.net. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ Howard M. Ballou ( 1906 ). The Reversal of the Hawaiian Flag. pp. 5 -- 11. ISBN 0 - 8028 - 5088 - X. Jump up ^ `` Hawaiian Flag Day Proclamation ''. Archived from the original on July 3, 2006. Retrieved 2007 - 10 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Name and Insignia of Hawaii -- Governor 's Flag ''. Hawaii State Library. 2006 - 03 - 01. Archived from the original on May 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007 - 10 - 25. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Hawaii. Constitutional Provisions for the Display of Ka Hae Hawaii Hawaii at Flags of the World State of Hawaii Honolulu ( capital ) Topics Constitution Delegations Discovery and settlement Earthquakes Geography Government Hawaiianize History Islands ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian Language ) Kūʻē Petitions Music People State symbols Tourism Transportation Unification Seal of Hawaii Society Hawaiian architecture Crime Culture Demographics Economy Education Energy Folklore Media Politics Sports Main islands Hawai ʻi Kaho ʻolawe Kaua ʻi Lāna ʻi Maui Moloka ʻi Ni ʻihau Oʻahu Northwestern Islands French Frigate Shoals Gardner Kure Laysan Lisianski Maro Reef Necker Nihoa Pearl and Hermes Communities Hilo Honolulu Kahului Kāneʻohe Līhu ʻe Pearl City Waipahu Counties Hawai ʻi Honolulu Kalawao Kaua ʻi Maui Sovereignty Movement Hawaiian Renaissance 2008 occupation of Iolani Palace Flags of the U.S. states, federal district, and other political divisions States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Federal district Washington, D.C. Insular areas American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands Outlying Islands Johnson Atoll Midway Atoll Navassa Island Palmyra Atoll Wake Island Historic CSA Cuba Philippines ( Commonwealth ) California Republic Panama Canal Zone Texas ( Republic ) TTPI USCA Ryukyu Islands Vermont Republic West Florida ( Republic ) Book Portal National and regional flags incorporating the Union Jack Sovereign states Australia Fiji New Zealand Tuvalu United Kingdom Dependent territories United Kingdom Anguilla Ascension Island Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Tristan da Cunha Turks and Caicos Islands New Zealand Cook Islands Niue Ross Dependency States, provinces and other administrative divisions Australia New South Wales Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia Canada British Columbia Manitoba Ontario United States Hawaii Cities Chile Coquimbo United States Baton Rouge, Louisiana Taunton, Massachusetts Miscellaneous Flags based on British ensigns Mosquito Kingdom ( 1844 -- 1860 ) List of British flags Historical flags of the British Empire George Rex Flag Flags inspired by the Union Jack Basque Country St. Pierre & Miquelon Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Canada South Africa Newfoundland Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Hawaii&oldid=839669715 '' Categories : Symbols of Hawaii United States state flags 1845 establishments in Hawaii Flags with crosses Hidden categories : Articles containing Hawaiian - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Беларуская Bosanski Català Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Hawaiʻi Hrvatski Italiano עברית Magyar Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Tok Pisin Polski Português Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Українська Tiếng Việt Yorùbá 中文 26 more Edit links This page was last edited on 4 May 2018, at 22 : 31. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: why does the flag of hawaii have the union jack
Answer: a remnant of the British Empire's influence on Hawaiian history