Ohio’s state flag was adopted in 1902. The Ohio burgee, as the swallowtail design is properly called, was designed by John Eisemann. The large blue triangle represents Ohio’s hills and valleys, and the stripes represent roads and waterways. The thirteen stars grouped about the circle represent the original states of the union; the four stars added to the peak of the triangle symbolize that Ohio was the seventeenth state admitted to the union. The white circle with its red center not only represents the “O” in Ohio, but also suggests Ohio’s famous nickname, “The Buckeye State.”