Flag of Michigan

What the flag looks like

A dark blue field with the coat of arms: a shield showing a man on a lakeshore under a rising sun, held up by a rearing elk and moose, with a bald eagle on top and Latin mottoes above and below.

What it means

The shield's motto "Tuebor" means "I will defend"; the lower motto means "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you".

How to remember it

Michigan's seal-on-blue has an elk and a moose rearing up either side of the shield, with a bald eagle perched on top.

Fun facts

• Its motto, "Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice", refers to Michigan being made up of two peninsulas.
• The elk and the moose holding up the shield are both animals native to Michigan.

Michigan at a glance

Nickname

The Great Lakes State

Statehood

1837

Capital

Lansing

Region

East North Central

Population

10 million

Area

250,487 km²

Flag adopted

1911

Flags often confused with Michigan

• Maine: Maine and Michigan both have a moose in their arms on blue. In Maine the moose lies under a pine tree, with a farmer and sailor beside the shield; in Michigan an elk and a moose hold the shield, with a bald eagle on top.
• Wisconsin: Michigan and Wisconsin both show a coat of arms with supporters on blue. Michigan's supporters are an elk and a moose under a bald eagle; Wisconsin's are a sailor and a miner, with WISCONSIN written above.
• North Dakota: Michigan and North Dakota both show an eagle on dark blue. North Dakota's eagle fills the flag on its own with a red "North Dakota" scroll; Michigan's eagle perches on top of a shield held by an elk and a moose.