Flag of British Columbia

The flag of British Columbia is based upon the 1906 arms of the province, designed by Arthur John Beanlands, a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria. Originally, the arms featured the Union Jack on the bottom, but this was reversed by request of the College of Arms in London. Based upon Beanlands' revised design, the flag of British Columbia was introduced on June 14, 1960, by Premier W. A. C. Bennett, and was first flown on board the BC Ferries motor vessel Sidney (later Queen of Sidney). ==Design==

The four wavy white and three wavy blue lines symbolize the province's location between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. The setting sun represents the fact that British Columbia is Canada's westernmost province. The image of the continuously rising sun refers to the provincial motto . The Union Flag on top reflects the province's British heritage, while the crown in the centre represents British Columbia becoming a Crown colony and achieving responsible government. The flag has an aspect ratio of 3:5. A stylized version of the flag that appears on British Columbia licence plates incorrectly features the setting sun overlapping the Union Flag instead of the waves. The flag of British Columbia is similar to the flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory. It also bears similarities to the arms of Suffolk County Council, the local authority of the county of Suffolk in the United Kingdom, as well as the flag of Kiribati, which features the blue waves for the Pacific Ocean and a sun for its own reasons. ==Gallery==

File:Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.svg| Standard of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia File:Flags of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1906-1982).svg| Standard of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia (1906–1982) File:Flag of the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia (1871–1906).svg| Standard of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia (1871–1906) File:Flag of the Governor of British Columbia (1870–1871).svg| Standard of the governor of British Columbia (1870–1871) File:Flag of the Franco-Colombiens.svg| Flag of Franco-Columbians File:Flag of Vancouver Island.svg| Unofficial flag of Vancouver Island (created in 1988 based on 19th-century design principles) ==See also==