Flag of New Jersey

What the flag looks like

A buff (pale yellow-tan) field with the state coat of arms in the center: a blue shield with three ploughs, topped by a horse's head, supported by the goddesses Liberty and Ceres, above a ribbon reading "Liberty and Prosperity" and the date 1776.

What it means

Buff and Jersey blue were the colors George Washington chose for New Jersey's Continental Army uniforms; the ploughs and Ceres stand for agriculture.

How to remember it

New Jersey is the buff one: a pale tan field instead of blue, with three ploughs on the shield.

Fun facts

• Washington ordered buff and blue facings for New Jersey's regiments in 1779, and the flag still uses those colors.
• New Jersey was the third state to ratify the Constitution, in December 1787.

New Jersey at a glance

Nickname

The Garden State

Statehood

1787

Capital

Trenton

Region

Mid-Atlantic

Population

9.3 million

Area

22,591 km²

Flag adopted

1896

Flags often confused with New Jersey

• New York: New Jersey and New York both show a shield held by two standing women. New Jersey's field is buff with ploughs on the shield; New York's is dark blue with a sunrise over the Hudson.
• Delaware: Delaware and New Jersey both use blue and buff. Delaware is blue with its arms in a buff diamond; New Jersey is a buff field with two women flanking a blue shield.