Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations

The symbol centres on a globe, representing the global nature of the Commonwealth and the breadth of its membership.

The flag developed from car pennants produced for the first time at the 1973 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, held in Ottawa, Ontario.

The initiative for its design is credited to two Canadians: the first Commonwealth Secretary-General, Arnold Smith; and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

[1] The original design featured a globe surrounded by 64 radiating, approximately quadrilateral, sunrays, which form a 'C' for 'Commonwealth'.

The Canadian federal government does not stipulate that the flag be flown for Commonwealth Day, instead directing that the British Union Jack (officially called the Royal Union Flag) be flown at federal installations which have a second flagpole.

The original design Commonwealth Flag flying at the Canadian Houses of Parliament, Parliament Hill , Ottawa , in 2010
The design of the Commonwealth Flag that was adopted in 1976