Flag of North Carolina

What the flag looks like

A blue vertical band at the hoist with a white star between gold letters "N" and "C", and gold scrolls above and below bearing the dates "May 20th 1775" and "April 12th 1776"; the fly has two equal horizontal bands of red over white.

What it means

The two dates mark the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the Halifax Resolves, early steps towards independence.

How to remember it

North Carolina is Texas turned the other way up: red over white, with "N★C" and two dates on the blue band.

Fun facts

• The Halifax Resolves of 12 April 1776 made North Carolina the first colony to instruct its delegates to vote for independence.
• The authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration of 20 May 1775 is disputed by historians, yet its date remains on the flag.

North Carolina at a glance

Nickname

The Tar Heel State

Statehood

1789

Capital

Raleigh

Region

South Atlantic

Population

10 million

Area

139,391 km²

Flag adopted

1885

Flags often confused with North Carolina

• Texas: North Carolina and Texas both have a blue hoist band with a white star beside two horizontal stripes. Texas is white over red; North Carolina is red over white and adds the letters N and C and two dated scrolls.