Deconstruction of the Union Jack

Most of you will recognize the flag below as the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom.

It’s just recently, however, that I learned the origin of this flag. The Union Jack is actually a combination of the flags of England, Scotland, and North Ireland which makes sense since the United Kingdom consists of these three countries plus Wales (whose cool dragon is left out of the Union Jack).

English Flag (St. George's Cross)

Irish Flag (St. Patrick's Cross)

Scottish Flag (St. Andrew's Cross)

I could, here, go into the debate as to whether Scotland and North Ireland are actually Countries (a debate I had for about 2 hours with my co-workers last week), but then we open the whole can of worms of Country vs Nation, the lack of a true imperial throne, and too much English history for me to speak intelligently on. So, lets just stick with the flag.

Thought I would share this interesting tidbit with you!