What symbol is featured in the center of the Canadian flag?

The symbol in the center of the Canadian flag is a maple leaf.

Canada’s flag uses a single stylized red maple leaf placed on a white central band, bordered by two vertical red panels. The leaf has 11 points, but that number does not represent Canada’s provinces or territories; the design was selected because wind-tunnel testing showed it remained visually clear in strong wind.

The maple leaf had already become associated with Canada long before the current flag. It appeared in Canadian military emblems during the 19th century, featured on the arms of Ontario and Quebec in 1868, and was added to Canada’s coat of arms in 1921.

The present flag was adopted on February 15, 1965, after a major parliamentary debate over Canada’s national identity and its relationship with Britain. George F. G. Stanley proposed the basic design, while Jacques Saint-Cyr created the final leaf form. The flag is often called “the Maple Leaf” or “l’Unifolié,” meaning “the one-leafed.”