Embassy of the United States

How many stars and stripes are on the flag?

There are 50 stars representing the 50 states and there are 13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies.

Flag: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
from The CIA World Factbook

When are new stars added to the flag?

A new star is added to the flag on the July 4th following the entry into the Union of the new state.

What are the specifications for the colors of the flag?

In the Pantone system the colors are: Blue PMS 281 and Red PMS 193.

Who made the first flag and when?

Betsy Ross, made the first flag. Information on Betsy Ross, the history of the flag and on flag etiquette may be found at the Betsy Ross Home Page maintained by the Independence Hall Association of Philadelphia.

Any other questions?

The Flag of the United States includes the history of the flag, graphics of historic and current flags and an invaluable collection of flag FAQs.

Our Flag: Frequently Asked Questions provided by The American Legion, the world's largest veterans' organization.

Star Spangled Manners: neat graphical representations of how to hang and display the flag, courtesy of the U.S. Navy

The Star Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem @ The Smithsonian site