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Use | Civil and state flag ![]() ![]() |
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Proportion | 2:3, 3:5, or 5:8[1] |
Adopted | February 19, 2003 |
Design | Three horizontal stripes alternating red, white, red; in the canton, 13 white stars encircling the state's coat of arms on a blue field |
The flag of Georgia is the flag of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its current iteration was adopted on February 19, 2003. The flag bears three horizontal stripes (a red-white-red triband) and features a blue canton containing a ring of 13 white stars that encircle the state's gold-colored coat of arms. The ring of stars that encompass the state's coat of arms represents Georgia as one of the original Thirteen Colonies.[2]
In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state's constitution while the pillars represent the three branches of government. The words of the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation", are wrapped around the pillars, guarded by a figure dressed in colonial attire from the American Revolutionary War. Within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the state's constitution with the motto of the United States, "In God We Trust", featured below these elements.
The overall design is based on the First National Flag of the Confederacy, which was nicknamed the "Stars and Bars".[3] Since Mississippi's vote to change their flag design in 2020, the Georgia flag remains one of the few state flags with references to the Confederacy.[4][5][6] It is one of three U.S. state flags to feature the words "In God We Trust", with the other two being those of Florida and Mississippi.