Flag of Alaska

What the flag looks like

A dark blue field with eight gold five-pointed stars: the seven of the Big Dipper, and a larger North Star in the upper fly.

What it means

The blue stands for the sky and the forget-me-not, the state flower; the North Star marks Alaska as the northernmost state, and the Big Dipper is part of the Great Bear.

How to remember it

Alaska is the night sky: eight gold stars on dark blue, with the Big Dipper pointing up to the North Star.

Fun facts

• It was designed in 1926 by Benny Benson, a 13-year-old Alaska Native boy, who won a contest for schoolchildren.
• The flag was adopted by the territorial legislature in 1927, more than 30 years before Alaska became a state.

Alaska at a glance

Nickname

The Last Frontier

Statehood

1959

Capital

Juneau

Region

Pacific

Population

733,391

Area

1,723,337 km²

Flag adopted

1927