The flag of Ohio was adopted in 1902 and designed by John Eisemann, for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. The large blue triangle represents Ohio's hills and valleys, and the stripes represent roads and waterways. The seventeen stars symbolize that Ohio was the 17th state admitted to the union. The white circle with its red center not only represents the first letter of the state name, but also its nickname, "the Buckeye State."
Drawn by John Eisemann, architect and designer for the Ohio State Pan-American Exposition Commission, it is the only American state flag that is non-rectangular, and one of only two non-rectangular official jurisdictional flags, at the state level or above, in the world (the other is the flag of Nepal). Loosely based upon the design of cavalry flags of the Civil War and Spanish-American War, the proper name for this type of flag is burgee. The flag forms the basis of the logo of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
