Flag of Montana
The Montana flag is a blue field with the state seal in the center and the word MONTANA in gold block letters above it. The seal shows a river, mountains, farming and mining tools, and the Spanish motto Oro y Plata, meaning gold and silver.
What the Montana state flag looks like
The state flag of Montana is a plain blue rectangle. In the center is the Great Seal of Montana, drawn in full color. Above the seal, the word MONTANA is written in large gold capital letters.
The seal contains these elements:
- The Great Falls of the Missouri River below a mountain range, with the sun behind the peaks.
- A plow, a pick and a shovel in the foreground.
- Trees along the river bank.
- A ribbon with the Spanish motto Oro y Plata at the bottom.
The flag is roughly 3:2 in shape.
Montana flag meaning and symbolism
The scenes on the seal sum up Montana's natural wealth and its economy. The plow stands for farming and ranching, and the pick and shovel stand for mining, the industry behind the settlement of the territory. The Great Falls and the mountains show the state's landscape, and the sun is often read as a sign of its wide skies.
The motto Oro y Plata is Spanish for "gold and silver." It refers to the gold and silver rushes of the 1860s that brought many settlers to the area. Blue is the standard background color for American state flags and echoes the blue field of the U.S. flag.
History of the Montana flag
Montana's first flag was made in 1905. The state's volunteer soldiers had served in the Spanish-American War, and their regiment carried a blue flag with the state seal. The legislature adopted it as the state flag that year. At that time, the flag carried the seal without a name on it.
In 1981 the legislature added the word MONTANA above the seal, which made the flag easier to recognize and keep apart from other seal-on-blue flags. That design is still in use. Compare Montana with other western flags such as Nevada, or look through the full set of U.S. state flags.
Montana flag colors
#002A86RGB
0, 42, 134CMYK
100, 69, 0, 47#FEC70BRGB
254, 199, 11CMYK
0, 22, 96, 0#A2D100RGB
162, 209, 0CMYK
22, 0, 100, 18Montana flag facts
| Adopted | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Proportions | 2:3 |
| State capital | Helena |
| State motto | Oro y plata |
| Population | 1,084,225 |
Montana state flag FAQ
What does Montana's flag represent?
The seal on the flag represents the state's natural resources and industries: farming, mining, the Missouri River and the mountains. The motto means gold and silver.
Why does the Montana flag say Oro y Plata?
Oro y Plata is Spanish for "gold and silver." It refers to the mineral wealth that drew settlers to the territory in the 1860s.
Why does the Montana flag have Spanish words?
The motto was chosen for the territorial seal in 1864, and no one has changed it. Spanish was used rather than Latin or English, and the reason is not well documented.
What is the only state without a rectangular flag?
Ohio. Its state flag is a swallowtail burgee, while the Montana flag is a standard rectangle.
When was the Montana flag adopted?
The flag was adopted in 1905 and had the word MONTANA added to it in 1981.
