Fleur-de-lis - Other Continents

Other Continents

Fleurs-de-lis crossed the Atlantic along with Europeans going to the New World, especially with French settlers. Their presence on North American flags and coats of arms usually recalls the involvement of French settlers in the history of the town or region concerned, and in some cases the persisting presence there of a population descended from such settlers.

The fleur-de-lis appears on the Canadian coat of arms, the flag of Quebec and also those of Montreal, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières. The Queen of Canada's personal flag also features it. There are many French-speaking people in other Canadian provinces for whom the fleur-de-lis remains a symbol of their cultural identity.

In the US, they fleur-de-lis symbols tend to be along or near the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Some of the places that have it in their flag or seal are the cities of St. Louis, Louisville, Detroit, Mobile, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette. On 9 July 2008, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law making the fleur-de-lis an official symbol of the state. Following Hurricane Katrina, the fleur-de-lis has been widely used in New Orleans as a symbol of grassroots support for New Orleans' recovery.

The fleur-de-lis appears on the coat of Guadeloupe, an overseas département of France in the Caribbean, Saint Barthélemy, an overseas collectivity of France, and French Guiana. The overseas department of Réunion in the Indian Ocean uses the same feature. It appears on the coat of Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius which was named in honour of King Louis XV. On the coat of arms of Saint Lucia it represents the French heritage of the country.

In Saskatchewan the Western Red Lily appears on the provincial flag and is sometimes used as a symbol of the province. Some representations resemble a fleur de lis but the traditional version itself is rarely used.