heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

and

vexillology Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. A person who studi ...

, a Canadian pale is a centre band of a vertical triband flag (a pale in heraldry) that covers half the length of a

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

, rather than a third as in most triband designs. This allows more space to display a central image ( common charge). The name was suggested by Sir

Conrad Swan Sir Conrad Marshall John Fisher Swan (13 May 1924 – 10 January 2019) was a Canadian-British herald who was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Having been first appointed to work at the College in 1962, he rose to ...

, Rouge Dragon Pursuivant (a heraldic office in Britain), and first used by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

as Queen of Canada proclaiming the new Canadian flag on 28 January 1965. The classic Canadian pale is a square central panel occupying half of a flag with 1:2 proportions. However, vexillological usage applies it to any central band that is half the width of the flag, even if this renders it non-square. The term Canadian pale is also used for flags which do not originate in Canada. The 3:5

Flag of Mississippi The flag of the U.S. state of Mississippi consists of a white magnolia blossom surrounded by 21 stars and the words "In God We Trust" written below, all put over a blue Canadian pale with two vertical gold borders on a red Glossary of vexillolo ...

and proposed flag of Taiwan and the 7:11 flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are all described as having a Canadian pale. The Canadian pale is a popular feature of sub-national, civic and personal heraldry from Canada developed after 1965. A few examples can be found in the flag of Yukon, the flag of the city of

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, the arms of Athabaska University, and in the arms of numerous individual recipients. The term is sometimes used in an even looser sense to refer to any flag with a larger central panel, irrespective of whether or not it covers half the flag. By this looser description, the flag of Norfolk Island (stripes in a ratio of 7:9:7) and the flag of Iowa (ratio legally undefined, but usually the central stripe is less than twice that of the outer stripes) are sometimes considered to have a Canadian pale. By analogy, any flag which has a central ''horizontal'' stripe that is half the height of the flag is sometimes said to have a

Spanish fess In heraldry and vexillology, a Spanish fess is a term occasionally used to describe the central horizontal stripe of a tricolour or triband flag that is twice the width of the stripes on either side of it. The name is based on the most well-kno ...

Heraldry

In coats of arms, and

in general, a 'Canadian pale' is what might well be referred to in South African heraldry as a 'broad pale' as its width is half that of the shield on which it is shown as opposed to the ordinary pale's third to a quarter. They are most commonly used in Canadian heraldry.

Flag gallery

Flag of the Northwest Territories.svg,

Flag of the Northwest Territories The flag of the Northwest Territories is the subnational flag of the Northwest Territories of Canada. It was adopted in 1969 by the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Hudson's Bay Company flag The NWT had no flag of its own duri ...

Flag of Yukon.svg, Flag of Yukon Flag of Amherstburg, Canada.svg, Flag of Amherstburg, Ontario Flag of Cornwall, Ontario (granted).svg, Granted Flag of Cornwall, Ontario Flag of Hamilton.svg,

Flag of Hamilton, Ontario The flag of Hamilton was designed by Bishop Ralph Spence (bishop), Ralph Spence and granted to the city on July 15, 2003. The flag was specially designed to complement the Canadian flag being a Triband (flag), triband with a Canadian pale at c ...

File:Flag of Bohol Province, Philippines.svg, Flag of Bohol, Philippines File:Flag of Iowa.svg, Flag of Iowa, United States File:Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg, Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines File:Flag of La Gomera.svg, Flag of the island of

La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...

(

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, Spain) File:Flag of Myrhorod.svg, Flag of

Myrhorod Myrhorod (, ) is a city in Poltava Oblast, central Ukraine. It serves as the Capital city, administrative center of Myrhorod Raion. Myrhorod also hosts the administration of Myrhorod urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It is locate ...

, Ukraine File:Flag of Putrajaya.svg, Flag of

Putrajaya Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (), is the administrative centre of Malaysia. The Seat of government, seat of the Government of Malaysia, federal government of Malaysia was moved in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajay ...

, Malaysia File:Flag of Taiwan proposed 1996.svg, Proposed 1996 Liu flag of Taiwan File:Keski-Pohjanmaa.lippu.svg, Flag of

Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia (; ) is a Regions of Finland, region in Finland. Central Ostrobothnia borders the Bothnian Bay and the regions of Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and South Ostrobothnia ...

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Lee County, Florida Lee County is located in southwestern Florida, United States, on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 760,822. In 2022, the population was 822,453, making it the eighth-most populous county in the state. The county seat ...

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Malbork County __NOTOC__ Malbork County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. ...

, Poland File:Flag of Columbus, Ohio.svg, Flag of

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

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, Poland File:Ash Nallawalla's Proposal (1998 Australian Flag Proposal).svg, Ash Nallawalla's 1998 Australian flag proposal File:Ropažu novada karogs.svg, alt=, Flag of

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Kanepi Parish Kanepi Parish () is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 4,662 (as of 1 January 2020) and an area of . The administrative centre is Kanepi. It was created in 2017 with the merger of Valgjärve, Kõlleste, ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Pale * Flags of Canada 1960s neologisms Heraldic ordinaries Flags by design