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Ka Hae Hawai‘i, or the Flag of Hawaii, is the official standard symbolizing Hawaii as a kingdom, protectorate, republic, territory and state. Ka Hae Hawai‘i is the only state flag in the United States to have been flown under so many various forms of government and the only one that features the Union Flag, the flag of the United Kingdom. Ka Hae Hawai‘i is one of the oldest flags in the world in continuous use, and officially predates a majority of the states of the Union.1 Design
The canton of Ka Hae Hawai‘i is the Union Flag, prominent over the top quarter closest to the flag mast. The field of the flag is composed of eight horizontal stripes symbolizing the eight major inhabited islands. The stripes alternate in color from the top: white, red, blue, white, red, blue, white, red. They represent the islands of Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Maui, Molokai and NiihauNi‘ihau at 70 sq. miles (182 sq. km), is the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the US State of Hawai‘i. The island's dimensions are 30 km by 10 km (6. 6 mi; 50% larger than uninhabited Kaho‘olawe). The maxium elevation (Paniau) is 390 m (1280 .
2 Origins
There are various accounts of the earliest history of Ka Hae Hawai‘i. One relates how King KamehamehaThis article is about the Hawaiian ruler. For other uses, see Kamehameha (disambiguation . Kamehameha also known as Kamehameha I and Kamehameha the Great ( circa 1758- 1819), unified the Hawaiian Islands in battle and formally established the Kingdom of H flew a Union Flag given to him by British explorer Captain George VancouverGeorge Vancouver ( June 22, 1757 May 12, 1798) was an officer of the Royal Navy, and an explorer best known for his exploration of North America and the Pacific coast along Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. He was born in King's Lynn, England. as a token of friendship with King George IIIGeorge III (George William Frederick) ( 4 June 1738 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. He was c. An advisor to Kamehameha noted that the Union Flag could draw Hawaii into international conflict as it would be seen as an ally of the United Kingdom. Kamehameha lowered the Union Flag from his home. The following account as to the raising of the United States flag has been challenged. A story states that the flag of the United States was raised over Kamehameha's home. British officers in the court of Kamehameha vehemently objected and the American standard was also removed.
In 1816Events March 25 Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck dies and is succeeded by the later Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, his son and founder of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg., Kamehameha commissioned his own flag to avoid conflict. As a result, Ka Hae Hawai‘i was born. Historians attribute the design of Ka Hae Hawai‘i to an officer of the Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. It operates a number of aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, fifteen nuclear submarines, and various other ships, as well as aircraft and Britain's amphibious forces, the Royal Marines. The Royal Navy, based on a form of the British naval flag. There is debate as to the name of the officer. The original flag was designed to feature stripes alternating red-white-blue, also attributed to various historical flags of the United Kingdom. However, some have argued that the stripes were influenced by the American flag. In error, the flag used at the first official flying of Ka Hae Hawai‘i ordered the stripes white-red-blue. The latter arrangement was adopted and is used today.
The first two nations to officially recognize Ka Hae Hawai‘i for official international use were the United Kingdom and FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents.. The United States and Japan followed suit.
