Flag of California

What the flag looks like

A white field with a red stripe along the bottom; a brown grizzly bear walks towards the hoist on a green patch of grass, with a red star in the upper hoist and CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC beneath the bear.

What it means

It descends from the flag of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt against Mexican rule; the grizzly stands for strength, and the star is often said to echo the lone star of Texas.

How to remember it

California is the only state flag with a grizzly bear walking across it, over the words CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC.

Fun facts

• The bear on the modern flag is said to be modelled on Monarch, a captured grizzly kept in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
• The California grizzly on the flag, also the state animal, has been extinct in California since the 1920s.

California at a glance

Nickname

The Golden State

Statehood

1850

Capital

Sacramento

Region

Pacific

Population

40 million

Area

423,967 km²

Flag adopted

1911