Flag of Ohio

What the flag looks like

A swallowtailed pennant with three red and two white horizontal stripes, and a blue triangle at the hoist holding 17 white stars around a white circle with a red center.

What it means

The 17 stars show Ohio was the 17th state, the triangle stands for its hills and valleys, the stripes for its roads and waterways, and the circle for the "O" of Ohio and a buckeye.

How to remember it

Ohio is the only state flag that isn't a rectangle: a stars-and-stripes swallowtail with a red-and-white "O" in a blue triangle.

Fun facts

• The flag was designed by John Eisenmann for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.
• Ohio law sets out an official way to fold the flag, in 17 folds for the 17th state.

Ohio at a glance

Nickname

The Buckeye State

Statehood

1803

Capital

Columbus

Region

East North Central

Population

12 million

Area

116,098 km²

Flag adopted

1902

Flags often confused with Ohio

• United States: The United States and Ohio both use red and white stripes with white stars on blue. Ohio's flag is a swallowtail with the stars in a blue triangle round a red-and-white circle; the US flag is a rectangle with a blue canton.