The flag of Alaska emerged from a flag competition in 1926. It was unofficially introduced on 2nd of May in 1927. Alaska also adopted this flag for official use in 1959. The blue symbolises the sky, the sea, the mountain lakes and Alaska's wildflowers. Seven golden stars represent the constellation of the Big Dipper, also known as the Big Bear or Big Carriage. The eighth star in the outer upper corner is the North Star. It stands for Alaska, the northernmost state in the USA, but it is also the fixed star that provides orientation. The colours are defined in the "Alaska Statutes of the Alaska State Legislature", also as HEX values, Navy Blue = #0F204B, Gold = #FFB612. Pantone colour values can be derived from this: Blue = pt 655 c, Yellow = pt 1235 c.
The name "Alaska" has its roots the Aleut word "Alakshak" what means translated: "land which is not an island". According to another tradition, the translation means: "land on which the ocean flows". The Russians formed it to "Alieska", and the US-Americans to "Alaska".
