The six green and blue alternating stripes represent the six main geographic regions of the county. The five gold stripes represent the five suburban regions of the county. In terms of colors, the green represents the county’s strong commitment to the preservation of the environment and forest preserves. The blue represents the rivers that run throughout the County as well as Lake Michigan. The Gold represents the pursuit of excellence and the drive for improvement and innovation throughout the County. Finally, the half of the six-pointed, red star represents the City of Chicago, the County seat. This is an easily recognizable symbol of the City. The star is casting out the gold, excellence rays (described above) onto the rest of the county.