The Kansas state seal beneath a gold sunflower, on a dark blue field, with the word KANSAS added in 1961.
The design
The Flag of Kansas is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 3:5, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses navy blue, gold, brown, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Navy blue | navy blue | A nationally significant colour for this flag — see the symbolism section below for the country-specific meaning. |
| Gold | gold | Stands in for sunlight, mineral wealth or sovereign authority. |
| Brown | brown | Suggests soil, indigenous heritage or the working land. |
| Source | Official flag law | The country’s own statute or constitutional appendix specifies exact shades and proportions. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The seal shows a settler's cabin, a man ploughing, a wagon train heading west, buffalo pursued by Native Americans, and a steamboat — collectively portraying Kansas's frontier history. The 34 stars mark Kansas as the 34th state. The motto Ad Astra per Aspera ("To the stars through difficulties") arches above.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Kansas — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1927. It is credited to Hazel Avery. Earlier banners flown by Flag of Kansas reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Kansas should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Flag of Kansas | — |
| Continent | North America | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1927 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 3:5 | height : length |
| Colours | navy blue, gold, brown | — |
| Designer | Hazel Avery | — |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
The state name was added in 1961 — before that, the flag was occasionally mistaken for other Midwestern state seal flags at national events.
