Yukon Territory became part of Canada in 1898. The word "Yukon" means "great river". The main colours of the Yukon flag are green, white and blue. Green is for forests, white for snow, and blue for rivers and lakes. The coat of arms is in the centre of the flag. The floral emblem (fireweed) is below the coat of arms. COAT OF ARMS Above the shield is a malamute (husky) dog on a mound of snow. The dog represents courage, loyalty and stamina. The coat of arms has the English Cross of St. George. This is recognizes the early English explorers. (St. George is the parton saint of England.) The fur trade is represented by the blue and white shapes in the circle at the centre of the cross. The two red triangles (peaks) are for mountains. The gold circles represent minerals that are mined in the north. The shield is split in the centre by wavy lines on a blue background. The white lines represent the Yukon River and the creeks and streams of the Klondike River where gold was discovered. FLORAL EMBLEM - THE FIREWEED The fireweed can be seen everywhere in Yukon. It is one of the first plants to grow after a fire. This magenta flower blooms from mid-July to September. OTHER EMBLEMS tree - Sub-alpine fir bird - Common Raven (an Aboriginal spiritual symbol) gemstone - Lazulite (a blue stone used in making jewellery) EMBLEMS INDEX | CANADA INDEX Web Pages for Students J.Giannetta 1999 (updated 2017) jgiannet@hotmail.com SOURCE: Emblems and Symbols Government of Yukon