Canada flag patch

Size of this Canada flag patch: 6.5 x 4 cm (2.56 x 1.57 inch)

The Canadian flag consists of three vertical stripes:

- The right and left stripe are red and of equal size, and cover one quarter each
- The center stripe is white and in the middle of it is a red 11-pointed maple leaf emblem. This one covers half of the width of the flag

History

The Canadian flag was adopted on 22-10-1964. During World War I, Prime Minister Lester Pearson noticed that most Canadian battalions included a maple leaf in their insignia. Therefore, Pearson vowed he would campaign to put the maple leaf on the Canadian flag. Fifty years later, Pearson was involved in a 33-day debate which resulted in the maple leaf being placed on the Canadian flag. Even though Canada had been independent of Britain since July 1, 1867, all previous incarnations of Canada's flags had included the British Union Jack.

3 facts about the Canadian flag:

1. The Canadian flag patch is also known as the Maple Leaf flag and was inspired by the flag of The Royal Military College of Canada.
2. The French nickname for the Canadian flag is 'L'Unifolié', which means the one-leafed.
3. In Canadian pop culture, various patriotic comic book heroes use the Canadian flag as the design for their costumes, one example is Captain Canuck.