Flag of the United Nations
What the flag looks like
A light blue field with the white emblem of the United Nations in the center: a world map seen from above the North Pole, framed by two olive branches.
What it means
The map shows all the peoples of the world, and the olive branches stand for peace.
How to remember it
The UN
shows the whole world from above the North Pole in white on sky blue, cradled in olive branches; Somalia's
light blue holds just a single white star.
Fun facts
- The emblem's map is an azimuthal projection centered on the North Pole and cut off at 60° south, so Antarctica does not appear.
- Outside the headquarters in New York, the flags of the member states fly in English alphabetical order, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
United Nations at a glance
- Founded
- 1945
- Members
- 193 states
- Headquarters
- New York City
- Headquarters
- New York City
- Region
- Founded 1945
- Languages
- Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
- Flag adopted
- 1947
Flags often confused with the United Nations
- Somalia: The UN and Somalia are both light blue with a white emblem in the center. Somalia has a single white five-pointed star; the UN has a world map framed by olive branches.
- Organization of American States: The UN and the OAS are both blue with a white emblem in the center. The UN is light blue with a plain white world map in olive branches; the OAS is a deeper blue with a white disc full of colorful member flags.
- Antarctica: Antarctica's treaty flag and the UN both show a white polar map on blue. The UN is light blue with the whole world framed by olive branches; Antarctica's flag is dark blue with only the frozen continent under a grid of lines.
- World Health Organization: WHO and the UN are both light blue with the white UN emblem of a world map in olive branches. WHO adds a gold staff with a snake coiled round it, standing up through the middle; the UN's emblem is plain white.