19/07/2012

FLAG FACTS

Flag experts known as VEXILLOLOGISTS, research the hidden meaning and stories of flags of different countries each having a unique design..
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The 50 stars on the flag are for the 50 US states and the 13 stripes are for the thirteen colonies that formed the original united states.
INDIA
The saffron(orange) colour on the indian flag stands for spirituality.
white stands for piece.
green for fertility.
the "WHEEL" for change..
AUSTRALIA
The 5 small stars are the southern cross, the brightest constellation visible from AUSTRALIA. The seven pointed star is the federation star.This has one point for each of the 6 states, and a seventh for australia's other territories.
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
When the communist party seized control of china in 1949, a competition took place to design a new flag. In the winning design, the red symbolizes the revolution, the large star represents the communist party, and the small stars are the chinese people.
SWITZERLAND
The white cross on the red base of the square-shaped swiss flag represents christianity.
The red cross humanitarian organisation reversed the colour to create the red cross flag in honour of its swiss founder, henri dunant.
IRELAND
There are no official story for the meaning of the colours on the irish flag, but many believe that the green stripes symbolizes the catholics of ireland, and the orange stripes the protestants who fought for william of orange in the 1600s. The flag may have been an attemp to reconcile these two sides.
SPAIN
The 4 shields in the center of the spanish flag commemorate the 4 ancient kingdoms of spain- castle(the castle), leon(the lion), aragon(stripes), and navarre(chains).
CANADA
The red represents the red cross of england's patron saint and the white comes from the french royal emblem, reflecting the country english and french heritage. In the center is a leaf of canada's national tree, the maple.
DENMARK
According to legend, the Danish flag (the “Dannebrog”) fell from the sky during a battle with the Estonian army in 1219, helping the Danes to victory. Vexillologists, however, believe the flag was derived from the battle banners of crusaders (Christian warriors).
SWEDEN
The cross of the Swedish flag may just be a variation on the Danish flag, but according to one legend, 12th-century Swedish king Eric the Holy saw a yellow cross in the blue sky and made this the design for his flag.
RWANDA
Rwanda introduced a new flag in 2002. The green symbolizes hopes of prosperity; yellow stands for economic development; blue is for peace; and the Sun represents light and enlightenment.
UK
The UK flag dates from 1606, three years after Scotland and England were united as a single kingdom. The flag combines the red and white cross of England’s patron saint, George, and the blue and white cross of Scotland’s patron saint, Andrew.
ITALY
The green in the flag is said to represent the land; the white is the Alps; and the red is blood spilled in Italy’s wars.
JAPAN
The big red circle in the middle represents the rising Sun. This is to symbolize the emperors of Japan who were regarded as descendants of the Sun goddess Amaterasu.
NORWAY
Norway became an independent nation in 1814. The cross comes from the flags of Sweden and Denmark with which it had been united. The red, white, and blue were inspired by the colors of the French Revolution, and symbolized liberty.
GERMAN
The black, red, and gold on the German flag can be traced back to the uniform of soldiers in the early 1800s. The soldiers wore black coats with red braid and gold buttons.
GREECE
Some say the nine stripes on the Greek flag represent the muses (goddesses of art) in Greek mythology. The color blue may represent the sea.

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