Flag of the Day

Cameroon - Current

2009-07-26T17:58:00.018+01:00

The national flag of Cameroon consists of a vertical tricolor of green, red and yellow, defaced with a gold five-pointed star in its centre.[1] The ratio of the flag is 2:3.[2] It was adopted in its present form on 20 May 1975 after Cameroon became a unitary state. [3]

There is much discussion regarding the star on the Cameroon flag. There appears to be no specified size for the star within the constitution. [4] The star does however, always seems to be contained within the central stripe.[5] The size of the star has been reported to vary in size from “…very small…hardly visible from a distance”[6] to “…7/8th of the width of the central stripe, or maybe more.”[7]

The colours of the flag of Cameroon are the pan-African colours of green, red and yellow. They are based on the colours of a historic Ethiopian flag from 1897.[8] These colours were adopted by the African Democratic Rally, the leading local political force in French West Africa.[20] Cameroon was the second country to adopt these colours after Ghana.[9] The vertical tricolor of the Cameroon flag reflects the links with France which was the colonial power controlling most of its territory before independence.

The symbolism of the colours of the Cameroon flag are given as follows. Green is said to represent hope for a happy future and the rich vegetation of the Southern forests. Yellow stands for the Sun, the source of peoples happiness and for the savannas in the northern part of the country. Red stands for national sovereignty and is the symbol of independence and unity. The star is referred to as "the star of unity".[10][11][12][13]

The history of the current flag dates back to 1957 when the newly independent Cameroon adopted a unadorned tricolor of green, red and yellow as there flag. When in 1961 the former British territory of Southern Cameroon voted to join the former French Cameroon, two stars of gold were added to the top of the green band to represent the federated states. In 1972 the federal system was replaced by a unitary government, and in 1975 the two stars were removed from the green and a single star was placed on the red portion of the flag.[15][16][17][18][19]

The flag of Cameroon may have been completely different if one of the other 1957 proposals had been adopted. One popular symbol suggested for the flag was the prawn that had given the country its name. (The Portuguese place-name Rio dos Camarões “River of the Prawns” or “River of Shrimps” was corrupted into Cameroons or Cameroon.)[20]

[fig1] Flag of Cameroon, Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[fig2] Flag of Cameroon (1961-75), Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[fig3] Flag of Cameroon (1957-61), Vincent Morley, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[1] Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[2] Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html citing
Whitney Smith, Zastave i grbovi svijeta, Globus, Zagreb, Croatia, 1992 (in Croatian)
[3] The Cameroon Flag, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cameroon
[4] Christopher Southworth , Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html citing
Pascal Vagnat; Jos Poels, Constitutions — what they tell us about national flags and coats of arms, South African Vexillological Association (SAVA) (South Africa), 2000
[5] The Cameroon Flag, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cameroon
[6] Ivan Sache, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html citing National flag hanging on stadiums during The football Nations' Africa Cup (CAN),Ghana 20th January to 10th February 2008
[7] James Dignan, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html citing picture from Reuters of flags outside the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting in Malta.
[8] Devereaux D. Cannon, Jr, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[9] Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[10] Siobhán Ryan, Ultimate pocket Flags of the World, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, London, UK, 1997
[11] Whitney Smith, Flags Through the Ages and Across the World, McGraw-Hill Book Company (UK) Ltd, Maidenhead, UK, 1975
[12] Christian Fogd Pedersen, The International Flag Book in Color, R.N.William Morrow & Company Inc, New York, USA, 1971
[13] Arnold Rabbow, DTV-Lexikon politischer Symbole, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG: München, Germany, 1970 (in German)
[14] The Cameroon Flag, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cameroon
[15] Devereaux D. Cannon, Jr, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[16] Stuart Notholt, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[17] Michael Smuda, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[18] Jarig Bakker, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[19] Jaume Olle, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/cm.html
[20] Whitney Smith, Flag of Cameroon, Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1355111/flag-of-Cameroon

Cambodia - Current

2009-07-25T20:38:00.003+01:00

The flag of Cambodia consists of three horizontal bands, in 1:2:1 proportions of blue, red, blue with a depiction of a three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the centre of the red band.[1][2] The present flag with these colours arranged in horizontal bands, was officially adopted on 29th October 1948 until October 1970, then, once again, at the beginning of 24th September 1993, date of the reestablishment of the Monarchy.[3] The ratio of the flag is 2:3.[4]

The colours of the Cambodian flag have been given many different meanings. The symbolism ranges from blue, symbolizing the royalty, the red, the nation, the white, the religion.[5] Red for the blood, given in the struggle for freedom and independence, Blue for the wealth of the country . Red being the national colour of the Khmer people, expressing willingness for sacrifices, blue the colour of the Khmer royalty representing the power and the wishes of the sovereign. The white temple symbolizes the glorious past of the land. White also stands for the confidence of the people in its sovereign.[6] Right through to red standing for hardiness, bravery, strength and valour, and blue for vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance and justice.[7]

The current Cambodian flag holds the distinction of being the only flag in the world to feature a building in its design. [8]

The flag used today is the same as that established in 1948, although since then 5 other designs have been used. These have almost all made use of the image of the temple of Angkor Wat in one form or another. This famous temple site, which dates from the 12th century, was built by the Mahidharapura monarchs. It has 5 towers, but these were not always all depicted in the stylized version used on flags. [8] Whitney Smith stated, “The temple is considered a symbol of the great civilization of the Khmer people.”[9]

[1] Flag of Cambodia, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cambodia
[2] The Meaning & History of the Cambodia Flag, http://www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk/cambodia-flag.htm
[3] Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/kh.html
[4] The Meaning & History of the Cambodia Flag, http://www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk/cambodia-flag.htm
[5] Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/kh.html
[6] http://www.flaggenlexikon.de/index2-e.htm
[7] http://www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk/cambodia-flag.htm
[8] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/i/Flag_of_Cambodiawik
[9] Whitney Smith, Flag lore of all nations, Millbrook Press, 2002.
[fig1] P. Mattew and Eugene Ipavec, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/kh.html
[fig2] Angkor Wat, Andrew Lih, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Angkor_wat_temple.jpg

Burundi - Current

2009-07-24T17:06:00.004+01:00

The flag of Burundi was adopted in 1967.[1] It consists of a white saltire of a width of 1/8th the hoist over a field of green and red. The red forming the upper and lower quarters and green the hoist and fly quarters. The centre of the flag is defaced with a white disc of a diameter of 3/5th the hoist. The white disc is charged with three, six pointed stars in red with a narrow green fimbriation. The stars form a fictive equilateral triangle inscribed in a fictive circle. The circle has the same centre as the disc. The triangle basis is parallel to the length of the flag.[2][3] The ratio of the flag is 3:5.[5] The colours of the flag are Pantone Red 186c and green 361c.[6]

The symbolism of the Burundi flag is given as follows The red is said to stand for the struggle for independence, the white for peace[7] or purity[8] and the green for the peoples belief in future development[7] or hope.[8] The three stars in the centre of the flag officially refer to the three words in the national motto “Unité, Travail, Progrès” (“Unity, Work, Progress”). The three stars are also said to represent the three ethnic groups who live in Burundi: the Hutu, Tutsi and the Twa.[9][10]

There is controversy surrounding the symbolism of the stars on the Burundi flag. Due to their symbolism of the ethnic groups and the tensions that persist between them in this area of Africa, there has been a move to remove the stars from the flag of Burundi.[11] The stars are used by Tutsi extremists to back up their claim that the Tutsis are descendants of ancient Jews and linked to the ancient Kushit state ruled by the Queen of Saba.[12] Whitney Smith also says that there is a possibility of the current flag being linked to the old Sabena flag, however he states that there is no proof of this fact.[13]

[1] Stuart Notholt, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/bi.html
[2] Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/bi.html
[3] Flag in Constitution from Burundi Government Site in French from http://www.burundi.gov.bi/const2.htm English translation with notes
by Ivan Sache, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/bi.html
[4] Presidential Decree, Article One, Christopher Southworth, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/bi.html
[5] Jaume Ollé, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/bi.html
[6] Colour approximations, Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctive, S.H.O.M. (Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine), Brest, France, 2000.
[7] Whitney Smith, Flag lore of all nations, Millbrook Press, 2002.
[8] Flag of Burundi, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Burundi
[9] Stuart Notholt, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/bi.html
[10] http://www.graphicmaps.com/webimage/flags/countrys/africa/burundi.htm
[11] Grands-Lacs Confidentiel, http://www.africatime.com/burundi/nouvelle.asp?no_nouvelle=173580&no_categorie
[12] An "explanation" of the Jewish origin of the Tutsis, by Mathias Niyonzima,http://www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/056/html/page29.html
[13] Whitney Smith, Flags and Arms across the World, McGraw-Hill Book Company (UK) Ltd, Maidenhead , UK, 1980.
[fig1] - Flag of Burundi, Mark Sensen and António Martins, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bi.html
[fig2] - Current Construction Sheet, Željko Heimer, http://www.fotw.net/flags/bi_const.html

Burma - Current

2009-07-14T21:37:00.010+01:00

The current flag of Burma is red with a blue canton containing a white emblem of a cog wheel and ears of rice encircled with fourteen white stars of equal size. The centre of the cog wheel coincides with the centre of the blue canton. The cog wheel has fourteen cogs of equal size and within it are two ears of rice consisting of 34 grains. At the top of each cog is a star with five vertices. The ratio of the flag seems to be unprescribed as various sources give 5:9, 2:3 and 6:11.[1]

The Symbolism of the flag is given as follows, the 14 stars represent the unity and equality between the 14 member states of the Union.[2] Together, the socialist symbols of the cogwheel and ears of rice represent the country's industry and agriculture, as well as the union of the workers and the peasant class.[3] The red of the flag stands for courage and decisiveness[4] or courage and gallantry.[5] The blue stands for peace and integrity[4] or peace and endurance.[5] The white signifies purity and virtue[4] or purity and honor.[5]

The flag of Burma was adopted on 3rd January 1974 upon the declaration of a socialist republic. The flag originated in the Burmese Resistance, which adopted a red flag with a white star when fighting the occupying Japanese forces during World War II. Upon independence, the star was modified to a blue canton with 5 small stars surrounding one large one. The emblem was changed in 1974 to represent the new socialist ideology in the country. The 5 stars were changed to 14, encircling the cog wheel and a rice plant.[6]

In recent years due to constitutional changes brought about by the National Convention, set up by the ruling junta, there have been proposals put forward for a new flag. The first proposal to come forward was that of a flag “…marked with green, yellow and red stripes in a proportionate ratio. On the left end of the green stripe at the top of the flag is a large white star directing upwards.”[7] The proposed flag lends back to that of the 1940s State of Burma flag, a puppet state set up under Japanese occupation which was a horizontal tricolour of yellow, green and red defaced with a peacock in the centre.

[Fig 4] - Proposal A

[Fig 5] - Flag of Burma 1943

The symbolism of the new flag was said to be “the colour green…for peace and tranquillity and lush and verdant environment, yellow depicts solidarity…red means valour and decisiveness.”[7] The National Convention felt that the flag was “endowed with essence and meaning.” However they felt something was missing and decided to add a “…white star, which reflects perpetual existence of the consolidated Union…” this was placed on the left end of the green stripe. The flag including the white star bares a remarkable similarity to the flag of the Karen division of Burma. However when the proposal for changing the flag was put forward by the commission working under the National Convention, it was rejected a few days later, by delegates of the National Convention.[8]

[Fig 6] - Flag of Karen Division

The commission went back to the drawing board and in September 2007 came up with a second proposal for a new flag. This time the flag had a large white star overlapping all three stripes and the colour of the stripes in a different order; yellow, green then red, the same order as used in the flag of the State of Burma.[9] This version was included in the new constitution, and was adopted with the 2008 referendum. The new flag will come into use in 2010.[8] The new proposal also resembles the flag of the Shan division of Burma.

[Fig 2] - Proposal B

[Fig 3] - Proposal B Construction Sheet

[Fig 7] - Flag of Shan Division

Many people in Burma are not happy with the design of the new flag, Cin Sian Thang, a Rangoon-based ethnic leader and chairman of the Zomi National Congress said “I felt very sad…only one star in the new flag shows clearly that the military leaders want to drive the country as a unilateral state.”

One Burmese blogger wrote “I don’t like the newly proposed flag either. When I first saw the flag, it first reminded me of African flags, because of its colours.” Others used the new flag to emphasise their views on the current regime: “According to the constitutional convention attendees, the color green represents peace, tranquility, and the verdant landscape of Burma, yellow represents solidarity, and red represents valor and decisiveness.” “…the new flag symbolizes something that may never be achievable in an undemocratic regime controlled by military personnel…. perhaps only the red remains true, as the military government is indeed decisive.”[11]

Another wrote, “Now, Burma is going to get her third flag since independence…the regime is making up a new ugly militant-looking flag to signify the military’s perpetual dominance in Burma. When Burma’s army was first founded, it used a three-colour flag with a peacock in it. And so, the regime is now giving Burma a new flag with the same three-colour stripes to show off their dominance. Moreover, it contains only one big star instead of the usual group of stars. It clearly shows that they see Burma as a solidly unified country. It demonstrates that they have no intention to give federalism to the ethnic groups in Burma. The new flag obviously illustrate SPDC regime’s real intentions and the true nature of their constitution. The ugly flag in fact is a warning sign that a horrible future lies ahead for Burma under perpetual military domination.” [12]

[1] Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/mm.html
[2] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Burma
[3] World Flags 101.com, http://www.worldflags101.com/m/myanmar-flag.aspx
[4] Dov Gutterman, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/mm.html
[5] World Flags 101.com, http://www.worldflags101.com/m/myanmar-flag.aspx
[6] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Burma
[7] Translation of proposals to be included in drafting the State Constitution presented by the Delegate Group of Intellectuals and Intelligentsia at the Plenary Session of the National Convention held at Pyidaungsu Hall of Nyaunghnapin Camp in Hmawby Township, Yangon Division, on 28th December 2006, Jonathan Dixon, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/mm.html
[8] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Burma
[9] The New Light of Myanmar newspaper for 3rd September 2007, Jan Oskar Engene, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/mm.html
[10] Proposed New Flag in Burma Stirs Controversy, Aye Lae, The Irrawaddy Newspaper, http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=8478
[11] Fifty Viss Blog, a collection of thoughts and writings on Burma, http://viss.wordpress.com/2007/01/02/new-flag-for-burma/
[12] Ugly Flag & Nasty Constitution, Dr Tayza, http://shanstatenews1.googlepages.com/2006112806
[fig1] Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/mm.html
[fig2] António Martins-Tuválkin, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/mm%212007.html
[fig3] António Martins-Tuválkin, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/mm%212007.html
[fig4] António Martins-Tuválkin, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/mm%212007.html
[fig5] Flag of Burma 1943, Hellerick, VexiWiki, http://flags.wikia.com/wiki/File:Burma_1943.png
[fig6] Flag of Karen division of Burma, Oleg B. Kozlov, Encyclopaedia Heraldica, http://eh.stanemte.org/english/3as/burma/bma-div.htm
[fig7] Flag of Shan division of Burma, Oleg B. Kozlov, Encyclopaedia Heraldica, http://eh.stanemte.org/english/3as/burma/bma-div.htm

Antarctica - Norwegian Proposal

2009-07-14T14:29:00.005+01:00

Officially the flag of the Norwegian Antarctic territorial claim is the flag of Norway. There has however been a proposal for a distinct flag based on the swallow-tail Norwegian War Flag. On the proposal, the red of the flag has been replaced by a light blue background.[1] Assuming the flag is of the same construction as the Norwegian War Flag the overall proportions of the flag should be 16:17 and the construction 6:1:2:1:6:11 horizontally and 6:1:2:1:6 vertically.

The colours of the flag are unspecified, however, assuming that the dark blue cross is the same as on the Norwegian flag, it would be Pantone Blue 287.[3] The light blue taken from the image is approximately Pantone Blue 284.

[1] VexiWiki, http://flags.wikia.com/wiki/Norwegian_Antarctic_Territory
[2] Proportions of Norwegian War Flag, Mark Sensen, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/no_fact.html
[3] Semi-official PMS matches recommended by the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Norway, Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/no.html
[fig1] Oleg B. Kozlov, Encyclopaedia Heraldica, http://eh.lenin.ru/english/2eu/norway/nat.htm

Burkina Faso - Current

2009-07-13T14:15:00.004+01:00

The flag of Burkina Faso consists of two equal horizontal bands of red and green, red on the top. A five pointed yellow star is placed in the centre.[1] The flag was adopted on 4th August 1984 following the coup of 1983 which brought Thomas Sankara to power.[2] The flag is in the pan-African colours, reflecting both a break with the country’s colonial past and its unity with other African ex-colonies.[3]

The symbolism of the colours are given as follows. The red is said to represent, the revolutionary struggle[2] or “…the blood shed yesterday, today and tomorrow by the martyrs of the Revolution to ensure the victory. Moreover, red represents all the sacrifices of the Burkinabe people.”[4] The green, hope and abundance[2] or “…agricultural wealth of the country. Moreover, green symbolizes plenty, which shall ensure the happiness of the people.” [4] The yellow star mineral wealth[2] or the “…ideological guide of the People’s and Democratic Revolution in its shining progress.”[4]

[1] Translated from French, Constitution Du Burkina Faso, The Government of Burkina Faso, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CAFRAD/UNPAN002916.pdf
[2] Whitney Smith, Flag lore of all nations, Millbrook Press, 2002.
[3] Ivan Sache, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bf.html
[4] Rouamba Adama, Sidwaya newspaper, 12th December 2004.
[fig1] António Martins, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bf.html

Bulgaria - Current

2009-07-12T17:49:00.005+01:00

The flag of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: знаме на България, zname na Balgariya) is a horizontal tricolour of three equal bands of colour, from the top white, green and red. The bands will be of a ratio of 3:5, width to height.[1] The colours of the flag are specified as, white, whiteness no less than 80%, green, 17-5936 on the Pantone textile scale and red 18-1664.[2]

The flag was originally adopted following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). Flags of green, white and red were used by Bulgarian Legia (a revolutionary organisation founded in Serbia by Bulgarian emigrants) in 1861-1862. The first white-green-red striped flag was made by S. Paraskevov and presented to Russian-Bulgarian troops (during the war against Turkey) in the Romanian town of Braila in 1877. It was a swallow-tailed banner. There was a lion and inscription "BULGARIA" in the centre (in Cyrillic characters).[3] Therefore the origins of the Bulgarian flag come from that of Russia, being the only independent Slavic state, with the green replacing the blue stripe in the tricolour.[4] Other sources give the flag of Fillip Totyu’s detachment, dating prior to the Liberation (1867) and the flag flown by Rakovski (red-white-green) in Andrea Saco’s famous painting as the fist use of these colours.[5] The symbolism of the colours is vague however the red and white could come from the traditional colours of the Martenitsi and the legend behind it,[6] with the green symbolising freedom.

[1] http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/6490/republic/symbols.html
[2] Flag of Bulgaria, Wikpedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bulgaria
[3] Victor Lomantsov, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bg.html
[4] Stefan Härtel, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bg.html
[5] National and State Flag, Heraldika Bulgaria, http://heraldika-bg.org/vexillology-national.htm
[6] Local Customs Bulgaria, Virtualtourist.com, http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Bulgaria/Local_Customs-Bulgaria-BR-1.html
[fig1] Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bg.html

Brunei - Current

2009-07-11T18:09:00.005+01:00

The flag of Brunei consists of four components, two parallelograms and two trapeziums. The two parallelograms dissect the flag from a point just below the top left corner to a point the same distance from the bottom left. This produces two similar trapeziums the bottom being the inverted form of the top. The parallelograms are of unequal depths the upper being wider than the lower. The centre of the flag is superimposed by the national crest. The colours of the flag are yellow for the two trapeziums white for the upper parallelogram and black for the lower. The national crest is coloured red.[1] There is debate regarding the proportions of the two parallelograms, the upper white is stated to be larger than the black in many sources,[2] Album des Pavillions 2000 gives the ratio as 17:15, white to black.[3]

The national crest consists of the flag, the royal umbrella, the wing, the hands, and the crescent. On the crescent is writing in Arabic script that contain the national motto of: "Always in service with God's guidance". Below this is a banner with the name of the nation in Arabic script as "Brunei Darussalam" or Brunei, land of peace.

The symbolism of the national crest is as follows, the Bendera (flag) and the Payung Ubor-Ubor (royal umbrella) are historical royal emblems. The Sayap (wing of four feathers) symbolizes the protection of justice, tranquillity, prosperity and peace. The Tangan or Kimhap (hand ) signifies the Government's pledge to promote welfare, peace and prosperity and the Bulan (crescent ) is the symbol of Islam, the national religion of Brunei.[4] The mast and pedestal of the crest represent the three levels of government.[5]

The colours of the flag have a symbolic meaning as well, in Southeast Asia, yellow is traditionally the colour of royalty, and the royal standards of Malaysia and Thailand, along with the presidential flag of Indonesia, also use a yellow field. Therefore the yellow represents the Sultan of Brunei. The black and white stripes represent Brunei's chief ministers.[6] The white is the colour of the Chief Minister of State, the Duli Pengiran Bendahara, and black represents the Second Minister, the Duli Pengiran Pemancha. These three were the signatories of the Treaty with Britain in 1906.[7]

Before 1906, Brunei had no single state emblem. Instead, Brunei royal family members and state officials held personal flags and standards. The most important belonged to the Sultan and Wazir. In 1906 the basic bold yellow, white and black flag was adopted as state emblem. The national crest was added when the national flag of Brunei was adopted on September 29, 1959 when the country was a British protectorate, and was retained when the country gained full independence on January 1, 1984, as Brunei Darussalam.[8]

Today there are five Wazirs in Brunei and their personal flags can be also seen flying on special occasions. These include that of the principal Wazir, the Duli Pengiran Perdana Wazir (white with the state crest in yellow) and the four further Wazirs; Pengiran Bendahara (white), Pengiran Digadong (green), Pengiran Pemancha (black) and Pengiran Temenggong (red),[9](given as purple by some sources).[10][11]

[1] The National Flag of Brunei Darussalam, The Government of Brunei Official Website, http://www.brunei.gov.bn/about_brunei/flag.htm
[2] (a) Gilbert Grosvenor; William J. Showalter, Flags of the World, National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society: Washington, USA. 1934
(b) E. H. Baxter, National Flags, Frederick Warne and Co.: London and New York, UK. 1934
(c) Vice-Admiral Gordon Campbell; I. O. Evans, FRGS, The Book of Flags, Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. 1950
(d) I. O. Evans, FRGS, The Book of Flags, Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. 1965
(e) E. M. C. Barraclough, Flags of the World, Frederick Warne and Co.: London and New York, UK. 1965
(f) Christian Fogd Pedersen, The International Flag Book in Colour, R.N.William Morrow & Company: Inc.: New York, USA. 1971
(g) E. M. C. Barraclough; William Crampton, Flags of the World, Frederick Warne and Co.: London and New York, UK. 1978
(h) Eric Inglefield, Flags, Ward Lock / Kingfisher Books: London, UK. 1979
All sources taken from Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bn.html
[3] Armand du Payrat, CV(R), Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctive, S.H.O.M. (Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine): Brest, France. 2000
[4] The National Crest of Brunei Darussalam, The Government of Brunei Official Website, http://www.brunei.gov.bn/about_brunei/flag.htm
[5] 100 years of the Brunei national flag, The Daily Brunei Resources, http://bruneiresources.blogspot.com/2006/07/100-years-of-brunei-national-flag.html
[6] The Flag of Brunei, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brunei
[7] Christopher Southworth, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bn.html
[8] The Flag of Brunei, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brunei
[9] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brunei_Darussalam
[10] Wiki-answers, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_the_colors_on_the_Brunei_flag_represent[11] The Daily Brunei Resources, http://bruneiresources.blogspot.com/2006/07/100-years-of-brunei-national-flag.html
[fig1] Flag of Brunei, Gvido Petersons, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bn.html
[fig2] Construction Sheet, Gvido Petersons and Željko Heimer, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/bn.html
[fig3] The National Crest of Brunei, Brunei Government Official Website, http://www.brunei.gov.bn/about_brunei/flag.htm

British Virgin Islands - Current

2009-07-09T15:09:00.003+01:00

The flag of the British Virgin Islands is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and defaced with the Coat of Arms of the British Virgin Islands in the fly. The Coat of Arms of the islands is “…a green shield charged with twelve golden oil lamps with red flames and a female figure, St. Ursula, patron saint of the British Virgin Islands attired in white and wearing sandals, carrying one of those lamps.”[1] There is a small white fimbration around the arms to strengthen the outline of darker arms on the dark blue background.[2] The flag was adopted on 15th November 1960.[3]

The colours of the flag are those of the Union Flag and all UK derivatives of Pantone Red 186 and Blue 280.[4] For the other colours on the flag I am unable to find reference. However another source gives the Blue as Pantone Blue 281.[5]

The symbolism of the Coat of Arms on the flag stems from the original name for the islands as given by Christopher Columbus in 1493. Columbus gave them the fanciful name Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins), shortened to Las Vírgenes (The Virgins), after the legend of Saint Ursula.[6] Saint Ursula is depicted holding one lamp and the other eleven lamps represent the 11,000 virgins who were martyred with her.[7]

[1] History of the Flag, Government of British Virgin Islands, www.bvi.gov.vg
[2] Graham Bartram, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/vg.html
[3] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_British_Virgin_Islands
[4] Graham Bartram, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/io.html quoting source Graham Bartram, British Flags & Emblems, The Flag Institute, Tuckwell Press, UK, 2004.
[5] Caribbean Flags.com, Pantone Colours http://www.caribbeanflags.com/Scripts/cp_CaribbeanFlagPantoneColors.asp[6] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Virgin_Islands
[7] David Prothero, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/vg.html
[fig1] Martin Grieve, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/vg.html#over

British Indian Ocean Territory - Current

2009-07-07T20:34:00.003+01:00

The flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory is a British Ensign with the Union Jack in the canton. It is a variant of a Blue Ensign but instead of the blue background it is one of wavy horizontal blue and white lines (six blue). The fly of the ensign is defaced with a palm tree overlaid with St Edwards Crown.[1] I can find no construction references for this flag however the standard for British Ensigns is 1:2[2](One reference lists as 2:3).[3]

The colours of the flag are those of the Union Flag and all UK derivatives of Pantone Red 186 and Blue 280.[4] For the other colours on the flag again I am unable to find reference.

The origin of the wavy lines is unknown, and their existence is a break from the traditional practice of flags of British colonies or former colonies.[5] However they look to be taken from the coat of arms of the territory which depict a shield bearing the Union Flag in the top quarter, a palm tree and St. Edward's Crown in the middle half, with three white wavy lines representing the ocean in the bottom quarter.[6] This is from where the palm tree and crown are also taken. In fact the crest of the arms consists of a crown and a castle bearing the territory's flag. It is possible that the flag is a unofficial local creation that was later adopted, especially as it is for use on land only.[8]

The status of the flag is also debated. It is one view that the flag, which was granted by Queen Elizabeth II on the 25th anniversary of the territory in 1990[7],is that of the Commissioner and has only semi-official status.[8] However, in a research paper for The Flag Institute called “Involvement of the College of Arms in the Adoption of Defacement of the Union Flag and of British Ensigns” the Ensign is listed just as British Indian Ocean Territory not as that of the Commissioner as in other listings.[9]

There is also debate as to whether the flag is actually used in the territory itself given that it is impossible for civilians to visit the territory. Lt. Col. Paul James who served on the island of Diego Garcia, the largest and only inhabited island states:
“Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Although British territory, it's used as a base for both British and American forces, and both British and American flags are flown as the "national" flag(s).”[10]
However, a video was released by the Naval Support Facility on Diego Garcia. It shows a scene where the flag is being flown.[11]

[1] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_British_Indian_Ocean_Territory[2] Graham Bartram, Flags of All Nations, H.M. Stationery Office, Greenwich, UK, 2000.
[3] Pascal Vagnat, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/io.html quoting source William Crampton, The World of Flags, Studio Editions Ltd, London, UK, 1990.
[4] Graham Bartram, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/io.html quoting source Graham Bartram, British Flags & Emblems, The Flag Institute, Tuckwell Press, UK, 2004.
[5] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_British_Indian_Ocean_Territory
[6] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_British_Indian_Ocean_Territory[7] Official BIOT Emblems. Cable and Wireless Diego Garcia, http://www.cwphonecards.io/Phonecards/Series5.html (no longer available) form Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_British_Indian_Ocean_Territory
[8] Roy Stilling, Flags of the World, http://flagspot.net/flags/io.html
[9] Nick Weekes, Involvement of the College of Arms in the Adoption of Defacement of the Union Flag and of British Ensigns, The Flag Institute, http://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/research_note_3.pdf
[10] Lt Col Paul James, PRMC Forum http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/prmc/showthread.php?t=14912
[11] Command Video. Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, http://www.dg.navy.mil/web/2006/downloads/Command_video/Command%20Video%20New%20Version.wmv (no longer available) from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_British_Indian_Ocean_Territory
[fig1] Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory, Martin Grieve, Flags of the World - http://www.flagchart.net/flags/io.html
[fig2] Coat of Arms of British Indian Ocean Territory - Demidow, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:British_Indian_Ocean_Territory_coat_of_arms.svg Using source, http://www.atlasgeo.net/htmla/OceanIndien1.htm

Brazil - Current

2009-07-05T21:09:00.006+01:00

The current Brazilian flag is a green field on which a large yellow rhombus is centred. A blue circle is placed within the rhombus, on which is represented, a view of the sky over Rio de Janeiro, with the constellation "Cruzeiro do Sul" (Southern Cross) at the meridian.[1] A curved white band runs through the blue circle, inscribed in green capital letters with the motto “Ordem e Progresso” (Order and Progress).[2]

The Law on the National Flag: details of construction give the following technical description (translated from Portuguese):
“ART. 5 - The construction of the national flag will conform to the following rules. To calculate the dimensions, take as a basis the desired width [of the hoist] and divide it into 14 (fourteen) equal parts. Each of these parts will be considered a measure or module, M. The length [of the fly] will be 20 modules (20 M). The distance from the vertices of the yellow lozenge to the edge of the field will be one and seven tenths modules (1.7 M). The blue circle in the middle of the lozenge will have a radius of three and a half modules (3.5 M). The centre of the arcs of the white band will be two modules (2 M) to the left of the point where the extension of the vertical diameter of the circle meets the lower edge of the field (point C indicated in Annex number 2). The radius of the lower arc of the white band will be eight modules (8 M); the radius of the upper arc of the white band will be eight and a half modules (8.5 M). The width of the white band will be one-half module (0.5 M). The letters of the motto "Ordem e Progresso" will be in green. They will be located in the middle of the white stripe, with equal white spaces above and below. The letter P will be placed on the vertical diameter of the circle. The distribution of the other letters will be as indicated in Annex number 2. The letters of the word "Ordem" and of the word "Progresso" will be one-third of a module (0.333 M) in height. The width of these letters will be three-tenths of a module (0.3 M). The height of the letter of the conjunction "E" will be three-tenths of a module (0.3 M). The width of this letter will be one quarter of a module (0.25 M).
The stars will be in 5 (five) dimensions: of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth sizes. They are to be traced within circles whose dimensions will be: three-tenths of a module (0.3 M) for the first size; one-quarter of a module (0.25 M) for the second size; one-fifth of a module (0.2 M) for the third size; one-seventh of a module (0.143 M) for the fourth size; and one-tenth of a module (0.1 M) for the fifth size.
The two sides [of the flag] will be exactly equal, with the white stripe inclined from left to right (from the point of view of an observer facing the flag), it being forbidden to make one side as a mirror-image of the other.”[3]

The main colours of the Brazilian flag are green and yellow, in fact the flag is sometimes called Auriverde which means "(of) gold and green". The next-to-last stanza of Castro Alves's Navio Negreiro, for example, uses that term.[4] The colours green and yellow refer to the Royal Houses of Bragança (Emperor Pedro I) and Habsburg (Empress Leopoldina). [5][6] The blue and the white represent the Portuguese cultural heritage (the original national colours of the Kingdom of Portugal).[7]
It is also stated that he colours of yellow and green were devised by Prince Regent Pedro. According to the Piraquê Club website (www.piraque.org.br), no longer on line:
“On 7 September 1822, after demanding “Independence or Death,” Prince Regent Pedro (later Emperor Dom Pedro I) removed the Portuguese blue-and-white cockade from his hat and exclaimed, “From now on we will have another laço (ribbon-knot), green and yellow. These will be the national colours.”
It also states:
“On 18 September, Pedro signed three decrees that were the first acts of independent Brazil. The second decree created a new national cockade: “The Brazilian national laço… will be composed of the emblematic colours: green for spring and yellow for gold.…””[8]
On the republican flag, the green background is said to represent the forests, the yellow rhombus stand for the mineral wealth but this is disputed by some as an invention of the Republicans in 1889 as an attempt to deny the monarchist character of the Brazilian flag.[17]The colour green stands today for the agriculture and floral abundance, yellow for the minerals and the gold prospecting. White and blue picture "pioneers and their virtues", and remember the Portuguese descent.[25]

There are some discrepancies regarding the Pantone colours for the flag. They are either given as Green 356 CV, Yellow 3945CV, and Blue 286CV[9] or more reliably as Green 355, Yellow, Blue 280.[10]

There is a great deal of symbolism within the design of the Brazilian flag, none more so than the stars pictured on the celestial globe. The stars, whose position in the flag reflect the sky above Rio de Janeiro on November 15, 1889, represent the union's member-states - each star representing a specific state (which is not the case of the stars in the flag of the United States). The number of stars changes with the creation of new states and, since the early days of the republic, has risen from an original 21 stars to the current 27, standing for the 26 states and the Federal District.[11][12]
The stars and the states they relate to are as follows:

Amazonas - Alpha Canis Minoris (Procyon) Canis Minor
Mato Grosso - Alpha Canis Majoris (Sirius) Canis Major
Amapá - Beta Canis Majoris (Mirzam) Canis Major
Rondônia - Gamma Canis Majoris (Muliphen) Canis Major
Roraima - Delta Canis Majoris (Wezen) Canis Major
Tocantins - Epsilon Canis Majoris (Adhara) Canis Major
Pará - Alpha Virginis (Spica) Virgo
Piauí - Alpha Scorpii (Antares) Scorpius
Maranhão - Beta Scorpii (Graffias) Scorpius
Ceará - Epsilon Scorpii Scorpius
Alagoas - Theta Scorpii (Sargas) Scorpius
Sergipe - Iota Scorpii Scorpius
Paraiba - Kappa Scorpii Scorpius
Rio Grande do Norte - Lambda Scorpii (Shaula) Scorpius
Pernambuco - Mu Scorpii Scorpius
Mato Grosso do Sul - Alpha Hydrae (Alphard) Hydra
Acre - Gamma Hydrae Hydra
São Paulo - Alpha Crucis (Acrux) Crux
Rio de Janeiro - Beta Crucis (Mimosa) Crux
Bahia - Gamma Crucis (Gacrux) Crux
Minas Gerais - Delta Crucis Crux
Espírito Santo - Epsilon Crucis Crux
Rio Grande do Sul - Alpha Trianguli Australis Triangulum Australe
Santa Catarina - Beta Trianguli Australis Triangulum Australe
Paraná - Gamma Trianguli Australis Triangulum Australe
Goiás - Alpha Carinae (Canopus) Carina
Distrito Federal - Sigma Octantis (Polaris Australis) Octans[13]

The star that represents the Federal District is Sigma Octantis, a star whose position near the south celestial pole makes it visible across almost the whole country, all year round. In addition, given its polar position, all the other stars depicted on the flag trace appear to rotate around Sigma Octantis. Choosing this star to represent Brazil's capital is therefore particularly apt (although it is a much fainter star than any of the others).[14]

The celestial sphere itself is symbolic of Brazils historical links with Portugal. Pedersen states in The International Flag Book:
“The symbol of the scroll and the celestial globe were inspired by the armillary sphere in the Arms of Portugal.”[15]
The white band around the sphere has much speculation surrounding it. Meanings varying from it representing the celestial equator, the ecliptic to the belt of the zodiac have been put forward. However it is likely that is nothing more than a place for a motto to be inscribed.[16]

The motto Ordem e Progresso ("Order and Progress") is inspired by Auguste Comte's motto of positivism: L’amour pour principe et l’ordre pour base; le progrès pour but ("Love as a principle and order as the basis; progress as the goal"). It was inserted because several of the people involved in the military coup d'état that deposed the monarchy and proclaimed Brazil a republic were followers of the ideas of Comte's thought including Professor Teixeira Mendes, who conceived the basic design of the flag.[18][19]

Many people are stated to of had an influence in the design of the Brazilian flag. French painter and designer, Jean-Baptiste Debret is attributed the original lozenge design, adopted for the Kingdom of Brazil in 1822. It is thought that the design was inspired by the lozenges on pre-1812 Napoleonic military colors.[21] Ruy Barbosa, lawyer and Minister of Finances and Taxation’s short lived first attempt for a national flag reiterated the colours for the flag. However his flag was vetoed for looking too similar to that of the United States.[20] "Father of the Republic" and an acting president, field marshal Deodoro da Fonseca suggested that the new Republican Flag should resemble the Imperial Flag. The decision was then made to replace only the royal crest with a new design.[22] This new flag was prepared by Professor Raimundo Texeira Mendes who collaborated with Dr. Miguel Lemos and Professor Manuel Pereira Reis, chairman of astronomy at the Polytechnic School, and the design was executed by the painter Décio Vilares.[23] The ball of blue sky and positivist motto "Order and Progress" in place of the royal crown is thought to be the suggestion of Benjamin Constant.[24]

The current national flag and ensign maintains the same design with some minor changes. This 27-star version was adopted on May 12, 1992 (Law 8.421, May 11, 1992).

[1] Os Símbolos Nacionais, Presidência da República, Brasília, 1986 quoted by Pier Paolo Lugli - Flags of the World http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[2] Wikipedia - Flag of Brazil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
[3] Law on the National Flag - http://www.exercito.gov.br/01inst/Historia/simbnac/simbnasc.htm translated by Joseph McMillan - Flags of the World http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[4] Navio Negreiro - http://www.culturabrasil.org/navionegreiro.htm - Wikipedia - Flag of Brazil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
[5] Felipe Flores Pinto - Flags of the World http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[6] World Flags 101 - Brazilian Flag Meaning http://www.worldflags101.com/b/brazil-flag.aspx
[7] Translated from Italian http://www.rbvex.it/ameripag/brasile.html
[8] Joseph McMillan - Flags of the World http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[9] Bandeiras do Brasil - http://www.bandeirasdobrasil.hpg.ig.com.br/ citing Ministry of Culture specifications from Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html. However Flags of the World has no such information.
[10] The Ministry of Development, Industry, and External Commerce - Flags of the World http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[11] Herman De Wael, Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[12] Wikipedia - Flag of Brazil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
[13] http://www.exercito.gov.br/01inst/Historia/simbnac/simbnasc.htm
[14] Wikipedia - Flag of Brazil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
[15] Pedersen, The International Flag Book, (1979), pp 217-8, Christopher Southworth - Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[16] www.piraque.org.br (page no longer available) - Joseph McMillan, Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[17] Translated from Italian http://www.rbvex.it/ameripag/brasile.html
[18] Wikipedia - Flag of Brazil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
[19] Joseph McMillan - Flags of the World http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[20] Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
[21] Joseph McMillan, Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[22] Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
[23] Joseph McMillan, Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/br.html
[24] Translated from Portuguese http://www.brasil.gov.br/pais/simbolos_hinos/simb/
[25] Flaggenlexikon - Translated from German http://www.flaggenlexikon.de
[fig1] Flag of Brazil - Governo Federal http://www.brasil.gov.br/pais/simbolos_hinos/simb/
[fig2] The Celestial Sphere - http://www.exercito.gov.br/01inst/Historia/simbnac/simbnasc.htm

Botswana - Current

2009-07-05T01:04:00.008+01:00

The flag of Botswana is azure blue with a black horizontal band across the centre, with white fimbriation. The colours on the flag correspond to those on the national coat of arms. The blue represents water specifically rain, and comes from the motto on the Botswana coat-of-arms, which states Pula, the Setswana word for "Let there be rain".[8] The white-black-white bands depict the racial harmony of the people as well as the pluralist nature of the society. They are inspired by the coat of the zebra, the national animal.[1]

The design of the flag is as follows. “Five horizontal stripes having colour and width as follows, that is to say taken from the top: 1st Stripe - azure blue having a width equal to 9/24ths of the total depth of the flag. 2nd Stripe - white having a width equal to 1/24th of such depth. 3rd Stripe - black having a width equal to 4/24ths of such depth. 4th Stripe - white having a width equal to 1/24th of such depth.
5th Stripe - azure blue having a width equal to 9/24ths of such depth.”[4]

The colour shade for the blue used on the national flag is being discussed by the Botswanan Cabinet. There has been a problem with standardisation and so flags with various shades of blue (from different manufacturers) are seen and the government wants to change this.[2][5] The Legislation on Botswana emblems Act of 1966 states azure blue[4] which The British Navy's "Flags of all nations" gives to be Pantone Azure blue 549C[3].

The origins of the flag are recounted by George Winstanley[6]. Winstanley arrived in the Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1954. After being a District Administrator at several stations, he was transferred to Headquarters in 1962. He was a Clerk to the Legislative and Executive Councils and later Clerk to the Cabinet where he worked closely with Sir Seretse Khama where he helped to organise the first general election in 1965 and the second in 1969.

Regarding the Botswana flag, he states:
"...But I became much involved in selecting a national anthem and in the design of the coat of arms and the flag... It was decided to hold competitions for all three to try and involve the population at large. I issued the necessary notices and received several entries for each category...” (p.235). "The entries received in the flag competition were hopeless so I designed the flag myself. I wanted to make it easy to draw hence the all the straight horizontal lines. The blue background of the flag represents water – vital to the country's agriculture - and the black central strip bordered with two white strips represents racial harmony" (p.236).[6][7]

Whitney Smith’s interpretation of the flags symbolism is as follows:
“Bechuanaland had no distinctive national symbols of its own prior to independence. The national flag, adopted in 1966, symbolically contrasted with the flag of neighbouring South Africa, where the policies of apartheid (racial segregation and the subjugation of nonwhites) were in effect. Botswana proclaimed in the flag’s central black stripe and its white bordering stripes a belief in racial cooperation and equality. The light blue background of the flag is associated with the sky and with water, a scarce and precious commodity in the vast Kalahari desert…”[9]

Construction Sheet

[1] Nick Artimovich, Flags of the World - http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/bw.html
[2] Bruce Berry, Flags of the World - http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/bw.html
[3] Sebastia Herreros, Flags of the World - http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-colo.html
[4] Santiago Tazon, sourcing Legislation on Botswana emblems Act 25,1966, Flags of the World - http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/bw.html
[5] Permanent Secretary to the President of Botswana. Molosiwa Selepeng, BOPA Daily News Archive - http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20000901
[6] George Winstanley -Under Two Flags in Africa: Recollections of a British Administrator in the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Botswana 1954 to 1972 - Colchester: Blackwater Books, 2000
[7] Gerald Noeske, Flags of the World - http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/bw.html
[8] Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Botswana
[9] Whitney Smith - Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1355079/flag-of-Botswana
[Fig 1] S Kopp - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Botswana
[Fig 2] Željko Heimer - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Botswana

Bosnia - Current

2008-12-19T18:37:00.004Z

The current flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted on 4th February 1998. It contains a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag. The remainder of the flag is blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle. The proportions of the flag are 2:1[10].

The three points of the triangle are understood to stand for the three nationalities of Bosnia: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs[1][2]. It is also seen to represent the map of Bosnia which looks like a triangle or a heart as some people call it the 'heart-shaped nation'. The stars, representing Europe, are meant to be infinite in number and thus they continue from top to bottom[2]. The flag features colours often associated with neutrality and peace - white, blue, and yellow. The colours yellow and blue are also seen to be taken from the flag of the European Union. They are also colours traditionally associated with Bosnia[1].The yellow is also stated to represent the sun as the source of all light and symbol of life[14].

The current Bosnian flag came about after the need for a new flag was raised in wake of the Dayton Agreement in 1995. The existing banner, unfurled in April 1992 consisted of six golden fleur-de-lys with a white diagonal band across them. Most Serbs and Croats, however, view the design as "too Muslim"[3] and as appropriated by Bosniaks[13].

A list of tasks was drawn up by the governments involved in helping the process of putting Bosnia back together, for the new Bosnian leaders to achieve. A new design for a flag, was supposed to have been agreed upon by 1st September 1997. This however did not happen and The Bonn Peace Implementation Council invited the High Representative to establish a process leading to a decision on a new flag and symbols. The High Representative announced his intention to establish an independent commission to propose alternatives for the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The commission consisted of Mr. Mladen Kolobaric, Professor. Nedo Milicevic, Dean. Sado Musabegovic, Professor. Marco Orsolic, Mr. Ranko Risojevic, Mr. Vehid Sehic and Professor. Gajo Sekulic representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina's academic and intellectual community. At the first informal encounter of the Commission on 10th January 1998, chaired by SDHR Hanns Schumacher, the commission agreed to submit its proposition for the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the High Representative[4].

The commission came up with three final solutions of the new flag design, all three designs presented had a light-blue background. The first solution contained a triangle and nine stars, the second proposal had three yellow and two white lines, and the third one depicted five yellow and five white alternating lines making a yellow-white triangle[8]. All three proposals were of proportions 1:2 and of the colours
light blue, Pantone 637C and yellow, Pantone 116C[9]. The background colour of light blue, similar to the colour of the Organization of United Nations was said to express Bosnian membership to the world community of states[14].

The decision was given to the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the adoption of one of the proposals. The Parliament failed to accept any and High Representative Carlos Westerndorp imposed a new national flag[5].

The flag chosen to be imposed as the new national flag by Westerndorp was closely based on the commissions Alternative No.1. However, it was changed slightly to a darker blue to symbolize the European Union's flag[6].

Alternative No.1

The new flag did not receive a warm welcome across Bosnia, the mayor in the city of Zvornik refused to accept the new flag presented to him by the deputy High Representative Jacques Klein[7]. News reports also stated "Sarajevo's intellectuals yesterday sent an open letter of protest to Carlos Westendorp, the international High Representative, arguing that the new flag he has imposed on Bosnia is "the final way to kill" the nation." It also said that "The intellectuals, led by Muhammad Filipovic, Professor of Logic at Sarajevo University, have demanded that Bosnians be allowed a referendum to decide their new flag."[11]. The use of the flag for meetings of common institutions had even to be imposed by the High Commisioner[12].

The colours of the flag are specified as blue, Pantone Reflex Blue, CMYK C.40 M.0 Y. K.0 and yellow, Pantone 116c, CMYK C.0 M.20 Y.100 K.0[9](the same as the European Union's flag).[15].

Construction Sheet

[1] Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina
[2] Heimer, Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/ba.html
[3] "The Economist"; September 6, 1997; p. 52
[4] OHR Press Statement, Sarajevo, 12 January 1998 - www.ohr.int/press/p980112a.htm
[5] BBC World Service - http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_53000/53265.stm
[6] Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina
[7] The news agency of the Republika Srpska, SRNA
[8] BiH TV News 27 January 98, 19:30.
[9] Engene, Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/ba.html
[10] http://www.vexilla-mundi.com/bosnia_&_herzegovina.htm
[11] Tom Walker: Bosnian intellectuals wash their hands of flag 'like soap powder box', The Times, 5th February 1998.
[12] http://www.ohr.int/decisions/statemattersdec/default.asp?content_id=345
[13] http://public.carnet.hr/fame/descr/ba-prop.html
[14] Westendorp in a news report from ONASA (Oslobodjenje News Agency Sarajevo)
[15] Bartram, Flags of the World - http://flagspot.net/flags/ba-fccho.html
[Fig 1] Current flag of Bosnia & Herzegovina - Kseferovic
[Fig 2] Alternative No1 - Vernes Seferovic
[Fig 3] Construction Sheet - Jan Oskar Engene from Flags Of The World - http://flagspot.net/flags/ba_con.html

Bolivia - Current

2008-12-18T14:09:00.005Z

The current flag of Bolivia was originally adopted by Bolivia on 31st October 1851 and confirmed on 14th July 1888 [1]. The state flag and ensign (and war flag) is a horizontal tricolour of red, yellow, and green with the Bolivian coat of arms in the centre. The civil flag and ensign of Bolivia omits the coat of arms.

The colours of the flag are given as; red Pantone 485c,green Pantone 356c, and yellow is Pantone Process Yellow [3], or Pantone 107c [4].

One source, gives the symbolism of the colours as red for Bolivia's brave soldiers, while the green symbolizes fertility and yellow the nation's mineral deposits [2]. Another mentions the symbolism of the colours, as patriotic bloodshed, nature’s bounty, and verdure and hope [7].

The ratio of the flag is widely excepted to be 2:3 [5]. However it is also officially stated as 7.5:11(or 15:22) [6].

The Coat of Arms of Bolivia consists of an oval shield depicting a landscape with a stylized illustration of Mount Potosi in bright sunshine and, in the foreground, a South American alpaca, a breadfruit tree, and a wheat sheaf, with a forest and a house in the middle distance. The upper golden border of the oval bears the name of the country BOLIVIA in red letters, and the lower blue border is charged with ten gold five-pointed stars representing the departments of the country. Behind the oval there are two crossed cannon barrels, six Bolivian flags, four rifles, a Phrygian cap of liberty, an Inca battle-axe and a laurel wreath; perched on the oval shield is an Andean condor[8][9]. A extra star was added to symbolise the lost department of Litoral, Bolivia’s only access to the sea. Bolivia still claims this territory, which was lost in the Pacific War (1879-1884) to Chile[10].

Coat of Arms

A Wiphala [wiˈphala] is to be established as the dual flag of Bolivia along with the red, yellow, and green banner in the newly drafted and proposed Bolivian constitution to be ratified by national referendum on 25th January 2009. It is a square emblem, commonly used as a flag, representing the native peoples of the central Andes and Bolivian Amazon region of South America[11][12].

The Wiphala consists of seven colours the meanings of which are; red: the earth and the Andean man, orange: society and culture, yellow: energy, white: time, green: natural resources, blue: the heavens and violet: Andean government and self-determination[13].

Wiphala

[1] Ollé, Flags of the World - http://www.fotw.net/flags/bo.html
[2] Whitney Smith, Flags through the Ages and Across the World, McGraw-Hill Book Co.: New York, (1975)
[3] Art. 3 of the flag law - http://www.comunica.gov.bo/cgi-bin/index.cgi?m2004073005
[4] Official model of the Naval Ensign - http://www.fotw.net/flags/bo~.html
[5] Armand du Payrat, Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctive, S.H.O.M. (Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine): Brest, (2000)
[6] Art. 2 of the flag law - http://www.comunica.gov.bo/cgi-bin/index.cgi?m2004073053
[7] Art. 1 of the flag law - http://www.comunica.gov.bo/cgi-bin/index.cgi?m2004073053
[8] Ludvík Mucha, Webster’s concise Encyclopedia of flags & coats of Arms, Crescent Books: New York,(1985)
[9] Noah Webster; William Torrey Harris, Webster’s new international dictionary of the English language, G. & C. Merriam Co.: Springfield, Mass. U.S(1924)
[10] Fischer, Flags of the World - http://www.fotw.net/flags/bo).html
[11] "Bandera indígena boliviana es incluida como símbolo patrio en nueva Constitución", United Press International. - http://espanol.upi.com/Politica/2008/10/22/bandera_indgena_boliviana_es_incluida_como_smbolo_patrio_en_nueva_constitucin/9741/
[12] Nueva Constitución Política del Estado, 2007 - http://www.scribd.com/doc/6056118/Nueva-Constitucion-Politica-de-Bolivia-Texto-completo-aprobado-2007
[13] Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiphala#cite_note-0

Bhutan - Current

2008-12-18T13:12:00.001Z

The national flag of Bhutan consists of a white dragon over a yellow and orange background. The flag is divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner, making two triangles. The upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange. The dragon is centred along the dividing line, facing away from the hoist side.
This flag, with minor variations, has been in use since the 19th century. It reached its current form in 1960.

Bhutan is a Buddhist state where power is shared by the king and government. The country's name in the local dialect means Land of the Dragon. In Bhutan, thunder is believed to be the voices of dragons roaring. In about 1200, a monastery was set up called the Druk (Thunder Dragon) with a sect called the Drukpas, named after it. The name and the emblem of the dragon have been associated with Bhutan ever since. The dragon on the flag is white to symbolize purity. The dragon grasps jewels, representing wealth, in its claws. The snarling mouth represents the strength of the male and female deities protecting the country[7]. The two colours of the flag, divided diagonally, represent spiritual and temporal power within Bhutan. The saffron yellow field symbolizes the secular monarchy, while the orange represents the Drukpas monasteries and Buddhist religion.

The flag is one of the few national flags to feature orange as a prominent colour, and one of only two national flags to depict a dragon, the other being the flag of Wales. [1]

There has been some dispute over the colours used on the flag. The suggested colours range from; saffron yellow & orange [2], orange & red-orange [3], saffron yellow & red-orange [4], to orange & maroon [5].

The colours are given by the Flag Institute of Great Britain as saffron over orange-red.Estimated as Pantone 116c and Pantone 165c [6].

[1] Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bhutan
[2] Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World, DK Publishing Inc., (1997)
[3] Whitney Smith, Flags Through the Ages and Across the World, McGraw-Hill Book Co.: New York(1975)
[4] Armand du Payrat, Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctive, S.H.O.M. (Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine): Brest (1995)
[5] Christian Fogd Pedersen, Alverdens flag i farver, Politikens Forlag: København (1970)
[6] Southworth, Flags of the World - http://www.fotw.net/flags/bt.html
[7] Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World, DK Publishing Inc., (1997)

Belize - Current

2008-12-18T13:08:00.002Z

The flag of Belize is a continued version of the earlier flag of British Honduras (the name of Belize during the British colonial period). The flag is royal blue, with a white disc at the centre containing the National Coat of Arms surrounded by fifty mahogany leaves. The flag is bordered at top and bottom by two red stripes. [2]British Honduras obtained a coat-of-arms on 28th January 1907, which formed the basis of the badge used on British ensigns. The coat of arms recalls the logging industry that first led to British settlement there. The figures, tools, and mahogany tree represents this industry. From 1950 onward an unofficial national flag was in use. It was blue, with a modified version of the arms on a white disk in the centre (sometimes a blank white circle was used as the coat of arms was difficult to draw). [1]

The coat of arms is described in heraldic terms as follows. Crest a mahogany tree proper. Escutcheon Party per pall inverted, 1st Argent a paddle and a squaring axe proper in saltire 2nd Or a saw and beating axe proper in saltire 3rd per fess bleu celeste and barry wavy or vert azure above the last a sailing ship proper. Supporters Dexter a Caucasian woodsman proper garbed in trousers argent bearing in the dexter hand a beating axe proper, sinister an African woodsman proper garbed in trousers argent bearing in the sinister hand a paddle proper Compartment A grassy field proper Motto “SUB UMBRA FLOREO” “Under the shade I flourish” Other elements The whole surrounded by a wreath of 25 leaves proper. [5]

The red, white and blue flag of Belize are a symbol of national unity. The colours are respectively those of the country's national parties, the People's United Party (PUP) and United Democratic Party (Belize) (UDP). The UDP, established in 1973, had objected to the original blue and white design, those two colours being the PUP's representative colours. The two red stripes at the top and bottom were added to the original design at independence on 21st September 1981. They were added to denote the colour of the opposition party. The 50 leaves recall 1950, the year PUP came to power.[3]

The flag of Belize is unique in that it contains twelve colours, three more than on any other national flag. Also, it is the only country to have human beings depicted on its national flag (the flags of Montserrat and the Virgin Islands, both British dependencies, also depict humans). [4]

The colours of the flag are estimated as;
Red: Pantone 186c, RGB 200-17-38
Blue: Pantone 294c, RGB 0-63-135
White: Pantone Safe, RGB 255-255-255
Yellow: Pantone 110c, RGB 216-181-17
Green: Pantone 356c, RGB 0-122-61
Black: Pantone Safe, RGB 0-0-0 [6]

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Belize
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Belize
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Belize
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Belize
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Belize & http://www.governmentofbelize.gov.bz/ab_symbols.html
[6] http://www.caribbeanflags.com/Scripts/cp_CaribbeanFlagPantoneColors.asp

Benin - Current

2008-12-15T18:29:00.002Z

The national flag of Benin was originally adopted in 1959. It was changed upon the accession of the Marxist regime in 1975, but upon the removal of the regime, the old design was reintroduced on 1st August 1990. The Constitution of the Republic of Benin describes the flag as “.. a tricolour flag of green, yellow and red. Next to the staff is a green band for the entire height and two-fifth of the length, with two equal horizontal bands: the upper one yellow and the lower one red.” [4]

The colours are the traditional Pan-African colours. The colours of the flag are explained in the national anthem as follows:

Quand partout souffle un vent de colère et de haine.
Béninois, sois fier, et d'une âme sereine,
Confiant dans l'avenir, regarde ton drapeau!
Dans le vert tu liras l'espoir du renouveau,
De tes aïeux le rouge évoque le courage;
Des plus riches trésors le jaune est le présage. [3]

Translated to English:

When a wind of wrath and hate blows everywhere,
Citizen of Benin, be proud, and with a serene soul,
Confident in the future, look at your flag!
In the green [field] you shall read the hope of revival,
The red recalls the courage of your ancestors,
The yellow is the omen of the richest treasures.

Pedersen associates red to the soil, yellow to the savannas and green to palm trees. Smith agrees with Pedersen, except for the red symbolizing the blood of ancestors. [1]

The colours of the flag are estimated as:

Green: Pantone 347c, RGB 0-158-96
Yellow: Pantone Yellow, RGB 252-224-22
Red: Pantone Red 032, RGB 239-43-45 [2]

[1] http://flagspot.net/flags/bj.html
[2] http://www.caribbeanflags.com/Scripts/cp_CaribbeanFlagPantoneColors.asp
[3] http://www.beninensis.net/benin_hymne.html
[4] Vagnat & Poels. Constitutions - What they tell us about national flags and coat of arms.

Bermuda - Current

2008-12-13T14:09:00.004Z

The Flag of Bermuda was adopted on 4th October 1910.[1]However there is some dispute that the flag was only officially approved in 1967.[2] It is a British Red Ensign the defaced with the coat of arms of Bermuda in the centred in the fly half.[5] The flag is unusual as it is the only remaining red ensign used by a British colony as opposed to the traditional blue ensign. Red ensigns were also used by Canada until 1965 and South Africa 1910-1928.

The Coat of Arms of Bermuda depicts a white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of a ship.[3] The red lion is a symbol of England and alludes to Bermuda's relationship with that country. The wrecked ship is the Sea Venture, the flag ship of the Virginia Company. The ship was deliberately driven on to the reefs of Bermuda, by Admiral Sir George Somers, in 1609, to prevent it from foundering in a storm. All aboard survived, resulting in the settlement of the Island.[4]

The colours of the are:
Blue: Pantone 281c, RGB 0-40-104
Red: Pantone 186c, RGB 206-17-38 [6]

“The shade of red on British Union flags and derived ensigns is a dark red. The Pantone reference is 186. It is slightly different from "Old Glory" red which is Pantone 185.” [7]

The correct ratio for all defaced Red or Blue Ensigns is 1:2.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bermuda
[2] http://flagspot.net/flags/bm.html from www.geocities.com/p_taggett
[3] http://www.national-symbol.com/B/Bermuda/Bermuda-national-symbol.html
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_Arms_of_Bermuda
[5] Christopher Southworth, 20/11/2005 from http://flagspot.net/flags/bm.html
[6] http://www.caribbeanflags.com/Scripts/cp_CaribbeanFlagPantoneColors.asp
[7] Graham Bartram, 13/9/2000 from http://flagspot.net/flags/bm.html

Belgium - Current

2008-12-12T09:10:00.001Z

The national flag of Belgium (Dutch: Vlag van België, French: Drapeau de la Belgique, German: Flagge Belgiens) contains three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France, whereas the colours were taken from the colours of the Duchy of Brabant a province in the former Low Countries (today Belgium and the Netherlands), which extended from the Walloon province of Walloon Brabant, over the Flemish provinces of Flemish Brabant (and Brussels) and Antwerpen, and up to the Dutch province of North-Brabant. The arms of Brabant show on a black field a yellow lion facing the viewer's left, with a red tongue and nails. The heraldic description (blazon) of these arms is "Sable a lion rampant or armed and langued gules". When riots were starting as result of the Belgian revolution against the Dutch domination, a civil guard was established which wore the colours of Brabant. Its unusual proportions (13:15) are of unknown origin.

The flag was adopted 23rd January 1831, soon after the Belgians gained their independence from the Netherlands in 1830. The flag had played an important role during the revolt, where the colours of the flag served as a reminder of an older flag with horizontal bands used during a previous revolt in 1789 in the then Austrian Netherlands. The original flag was with horizontal bars, but it was changed to vertical because of the resemblance with the flag of the Netherlands.
Article 193 of the Constitution of Belgium describes the colours of the Belgian Nation as Red, Yellow and Black instead of the order used in the above official flag.

The colours of the flag are, red: Pantone 186 c / CMYK (%) C0 - M90 - Y80 - K5 and yellow: Pantone 116 c / CMYK (%) C0 - M15 - Y95 - K0

There is a dispute over the correctness of the Belgium flag. Quoting an article published (originally in Dutch) in De Standaard, 2nd November 1999. “Black, yellow, red, starting from the pole. That's how we've always known the Belgian flag. But if you read the Constitution, this isn't correct, says Karel Rimanque, professor at the University of Antwerp. Article 193 of the so often revised Constitution still says:
The Belgian Nation chooses as its colours red, yellow and black. In 1830 too, they used to describe the flag starting from the pole. Thus, our flag is different: red at the pole, yellow in the middle, and black at the fly. Does this mean that the Constitution has been broken for all 168 years? Was it interpreted wrongly at the beginning and did nobody ever notice the error? Anyway, either we have to correct this article, or we have to correct our flag.”

Belarus - Current

2008-12-11T14:44:00.005Z

The current national flag of Belarus (Belarusian: Сцяг Беларусі, Stsyah Byelarusi; Russian: Флаг Беларуси, Flag Belarusi) was formally adopted on 7th June 1995, following the result of a referendum voted on by the Belarusian people in the previous month. This new design replaced a historical flag used by the Belarusian People's Republic of 1918, before Belarus became a Soviet Republic, and again after it regained its independence in 1991. The current flag is a modification of the 1951 flag used while the country was a republic of the Soviet Union.

The national flag of Belarus, was described in a decree on 7th June 1995 as follows, “The national flag is a rectangular cloth consisting of two longitudinal stripes: red upper stripe and green lower stripe that are two-thirds and one-third of the flag width respectively. A vertical red-on-white Belarusian decorative pattern, which occupies one-ninth of the flag's length, is placed against the flagstaff. The flag’s ratio of width to length is 1:2. The flag is fixed on a flagstaff painted golden (ochre).”

The flag does not differ significantly from the flag of the Byelorussian SSR, other than the removal of the hammer and sickle and the red star, and the reversal of red and white in the hoist pattern.
The red colour of the flag signifies the past history of Belarus, as the colour used by the Belarusian forces at the Battle of Grunwald, and of the Red Army when they were fighting Nazi Germany during World War II. Green stands for aspirations about the future, and also represents the many forests located in the country.

While the colours of the flag are red, green, and white, the exact shades have not been determined by either law or decree. The publication Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives gave an estimate of what the colours are in the Pantone, CMYK and RGB colour processes.

Red 1795c, 0-90-100-0, 255-0-0
Green 370c, 60-0-100-25, 0-153-0
White Safe, 0-0-0-0, 255-255-255

Hoist ornament pattern

There is a decorative pattern displayed on the hoist of the flag(1/9 length and previously displayed on the 1951 flag). Designed in 1917 by Matrena Markevich, the pattern is commonly used in Belarus to show local plants and flowers. These patterns are also woven into outfits, and also used for a traditional woven craft called rushniks, traditional towels decorated with the ornamental pattern that are used for ceremonial events. An example of their use would be a host offering his guests bread and salt, which would then be served on a rushnik. Rushniks are also used at religious services, funerals, and other social functions. On the current flag, the ornamentation is used to symbolize the cultural past, and current Belarusian unity.

Barbados - Current

2008-12-09T02:51:00.002Z

The national flag of Barbados was officially adopted on 30th November 1966, the island's first Independence Day. It consists of a triband of two bands of ultramarine separated by a golden middle band. A black trident head is centred within the golden band.

The flag is composed of three vertical panels - the outer panels of ultramarine and the centre panel of gold. A broken trident in black is placed at the centre of the flag. The British standard colour code numbers for the colours of the flag are as follows - Ultramarine -- BCC148, Pantone Blue 280c, CMYK 100-70-0-20 and Gold --BS0/002, Pantone Yellow 123c, CMYK 0-30-90-0. The ultramarine bands symbolise the ocean and the sky, and the golden band symbolises the sand of Barbados.
The symbol in the centre panel is the Trident of the mythical sea god Neptune. This symbol appears in the Seal of the colony which was replaced by the Barbados Coat of Arms. The trident head - also known as the 'broken trident' - symbolizes Barbados' independence from the United Kingdom (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident). Each point represents a point of democracy.
The flag is designed in the proportion 2:3.

The National Flag was designed by Mr. Grantley W. Prescod. His design was chosen from 1,029 entries in an open competition organised by the Government of Barbados. Mr. Prescod was awarded a Gold Medal, an inscribed scroll from the government and $500 which was donated by the Advocate Company Limited. The judges of the competition were Mr. Bruce St. John, Chairman, Major Leonard Banfield, Mr. Maurice Cave, Mr. Neville Connell, Mrs. Enid Lynch and Mrs. B. Ward.
Mr. Prescod attended St. Barnabas Boys School. He taught before undertaking a one year course at the West of England College of Art for Specialist Teachers of Art in 1962-63. He also attained a certificate in Education from Bristol University. Between 19670-72 he studied for a Master of Education degree, majoring in Art Education at Temple University, Philadelphia, U.S.A.
Mr. Prescod taught at the Parkinson Secondary School. He served as an Education Officer from September 1977 until his retirement in February 1987. Mr. Prescod died on November 12, 2003 at the age of 77.

Bangladesh - Current

2008-12-08T11:35:00.003Z

The national flag of Bangladesh was adopted officially on 17th January 1972. A red disc is on top of the green field, offset slightly toward the hoist so that it appears centred when the flag is flying. The red disc represents the sun rising over Bengal, and is a symbol of the rising Sun of independence after the dark night of a blood-drenched struggle. According to Flags of the World, the green used in the flag does not represent the traditional colours of Islam, contrary to some western sources. Rather, the green colour was chosen to represent the lushness of the natural landscape of Bangladesh.

According to Bangladesh Government specifications, following is the specification of the national flag. The flag will be in bottle green and rectangular in size in the proportion of 10:6, with a red circle in the middle. The red circle will have a radius of one-fifth of the length of the flag. Its centre will be placed on the intersecting point of the perpendicular drawn from the nine-twentieth part of the length of the flag, and the horizontal line drawn through the middle of its width. The green base of the flag will be of Procion Brilliant Green H-2RS 50 parts per 1000. The red circular part will be of Procion Brilliant Orange H-2RS 60 parts per 1000. Depending on the size of the building the flag sizes will be 10´ x 6´; 5´ x 3´; 2½´ x 1½´. The size of the flag for car is 12½" x 7 ½", and the size of the table flag for bilateral conferences is 10" x 6".

It is based on a similar flag used during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The flag used a map of Bangladesh and this was later deleted from the flag in 1972 by the order of General Manzur. One reason given was the difficulty rendering the map correctly on both sides of the flag.

Attached is a PDF on the flag rules of Bangladesh.

Bahrain - Current

2008-12-07T10:38:00.002Z

The national flag of Bahrain (Arabic: علم البحرين‎) consists of a white band on the left, separated from a red area on the right by five triangles that serve as a serrated line. Red is the traditional colour for flags of the Persian Gulf states. The white is on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam.

The oldest known flags of Bahrain were plain red. In 1820, Bahrain signed a treaty with Great Britain, and a white stripe was added to the flag to indicate the truce. In 1932, a serrated edge was added to distinguish the flag of Bahrain from those of its neighbours. The flag originally had twenty-eight white points, but this was reduced to eight in 1972. In 2002 the number of triangles was again reduced to five, so that each of the points could stand for one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The new flag was officially adopted on 14th February 2002.

The ratio of the national flag was changed from de facto 2:3 to prescribed 3:5.

The colours of the flag are approximated as Red, Pantone 186 c, CMYK (%) C 0 - M 90 - Y 80 - K 5.

Bahamas - Current

2008-12-06T14:55:00.001Z

The Flag of the Bahamas has an approximately 1:2 aspect ratio. The black equilateral triangle on the left represents the unity and determination of the people of the Bahamas. The triangle is oriented toward three equal-width stripes symbolizing areas of natural resource; two aquamarine stripes at the top and bottom of the flag representing the sea and one gold stripe in the middle representing the sands of the 700 Bahamian islands. The Black colour, represents the vigour and force of a united people; the triangle pointing represents the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop and process the rich resources symbolised in the stripes. The flag was adopted on July 10, 1973.

The colours of the flag are, Blue Pantone 312c and Yellow Pantone 115c.

Azerbaijan - Current

2008-12-05T03:43:00.001Z

The flag of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan bayrağı). It consists of three equal horizontal bands coloured blue, red, and green, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star (Rub El Hizb) centred in the red band. The eight points of the star stand for the branches of the Turkic people. The blue band is the colour of the Turks. The green is for Islam and red is for progress and Europeanisation. The official colours and size were adopted on 5th February 1991 based on a flag originally used between 1918 and 1920. The flag is used on land as the civil, state and war flag, and at sea as the civil, state and naval ensign and naval jack. The specific shades of the national flag were laid out in a 2004 law as the following: Blue - Pantone 313 C, CMYK (%) C 100 - M 10 - Y 0 - K 5 , Red - Pantone 185 C, CMYK (%) C 0 - M 90 - Y 100 - K 0, Green - Pantone 3405 C, CMYK (%) C 100 - M 0 - Y 90 - K 5. The flag has the ratio of 1:2

The meaning of the colours of the flag was defined by the nationalist leader Ali Bey Hussein Zade as follows. Blue represents the need of Turkization. Green represents the need of Islamization. Red represents the need of modernization and progress, following the European example.

The eight-pointed star is said to stand for the eight Turkic peoples of the world, classified as Azeris (aka Azerbaidjanis), Ottomans (aka Anatolians or Turkish "proper"), Jagatais (aka Chagatai or Turkmens), Tatars, Kipchaks (aka Kazakhs and Kirghiz), Seljuks (aka Salchuq, Azeris living in Iran)and Turkomans (aka Turkmenians). This only amounts to seven and this clustering and classification are traditional (the eight-pointed star was on the Azeri flag already in 1918 and probably was created much earlier) and doesn't follow any modern linguistical or anthropological classification of the Turkic peoples.

Austria - Current

2008-12-05T03:42:00.002Z

The flag of Austria has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red. The Austrian flag is possibly the oldest national flag design in the world. The Danish flag, said to be the oldest national flag "in continuous use", is at least a century younger.

The flag was not used after the Anschluß, or the unification with Nazi Germany in 1938, but was restored with independence in 1945.

According to legend, the flag was invented by Duke Leopold V of Austria (1157–1194) as a consequence of his fighting during the Crusades. After a fierce battle, his white battle dress was completely drenched in blood. When he removed his belt, the cloth underneath was untouched by it, revealing the combination of red-white-red. So taken was he by this singular sight that he adopted the colours and scheme as his banner. Duke Friedrich II (1210-1246), the last of the Babenberg dynasty, who was nicknamed the "Quarrelsome" or the "Warlike", designed a new coat of arms in red-white-red in the year 1230 in his attempt to become more independent from the Holy Roman Empire. The first colour document bearing them dates from 1232.

There is no prescription on the ratio of this flag for civil use. Shade of red used is medium red: RGB: 255-0-0

Australia - Current

2008-12-05T03:37:00.003Z

The flag of Australia was chosen in 1901 from entries in a worldwide design competition held following Federation. It was approved by Australian and British authorities over the next few years, although the exact specifications of the flag were changed several times both intentionally and as a result of confusion. The current specifications were published in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became legally recognised as the "Australian National Flag".
The flag is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.

The Australian flag uses three prominent symbols, the Union Flag, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross (or Crux). The Union Flag is thought locally to symbolise Australia's history as six British colonies and the principles upon which the Australian Federation is based, although a more historic view sees its inclusion in the design as demonstrating loyalty to the British Empire.
The Commonwealth Star originally had only six points, representing the six federating colonies. However, this changed in 1908 when a seventh point was added to symbolise the Territory of Papua and any future territories. The Commonwealth Star does not have any relation to Beta Centauri, despite that star's coincidental location in the sky and its brightness.
The Southern Cross is one of the most distinctive constellations visible in the Southern Hemisphere, and has been used to represent Australia since the early days of British settlement. Ivor Evans, one of the flag's designers, intended the Southern Cross to refer also to the four moral virtues ascribed to the four main stars by Dante: justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude. The number of points on the stars of the Southern Cross on today's Australian flag differs from the original competition-winning design, on which they ranged between five and nine points each, representing their relative brightness in the night sky. In order to simplify manufacture, the British Admiralty standardised the four larger outer stars at seven points each, leaving the smaller middle star with five points.
A complete specification for the current design was published in the Commonwealth Gazette in 1934.

The length of the Flag is twice the width. Under the Flags Act, the Australian National Flag must meet the following specifications. The Union Jack occupying the upper quarter next the staff. A large white star (representing the 6 States of Australia and the Territories) in the centre of the lower quarter next the pye and pointing direct to the centre of St George's Cross in the Union Jack. 5 white stars (representing the Southern Cross) in the half of the flag further from the staff. The location of the stars is as follows: Commonwealth Star - 7 pointed star, centred in lower hoist, Alpha Crucis - 7 pointed star, straight below centre fly 1/6 up from bottom edge, Beta Crucis - 7 pointed star, 1/4 of the way left and 1/16 up from the centre fly, Gamma Crucis - 7 pointed star, straight above centre fly 1/6 down from top edge, Delta Crucis - 7 pointed star, 2/9 of the way right and 31/240 up from the centre fly, Epsilon Crucis - 5 pointed star, 1/10 of the way right and 1/24 down from the centre fly. The outer diameter of the Commonwealth Star is 3/10 of the flag's width, while that of the stars in the Southern Cross is 1/7 of the flag's width, except for Epsilon, for which the fraction is 1/12. Each star's inner diameter is 4/9 of the outer diameter. The flag's width is the measurement of the hoist edge of the flag (the distance from top to bottom).

The colours of the flag, although not specified by the Flags Act, have been given Pantone specifications by the Awards and Culture Branch of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Australian Government's Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers also gives CMYK and RGB specifications for depicting the flag in print and on screen respectively. Blue, Pantone 280c, RGB 0-0-139, Hex(#00008B), CMYK 100%-80%-0%-0%. Red, Pantone 185c, RGB 255-0-0, Hex(#FF0000), CMYK 0%-100%-100%-0%. White, Pantone Safe, RGB 255-255-255, Hex(#FFFFFF), CMYK 0%-0%-0%-0%.

Aruba - Current

2008-12-05T03:33:00.003Z

Aruba's national flag was adopted on 18th March 1976. The design consists of a field of light blue (called "Larkspur" or "U.N. blue"), two narrow parallel horizontal yellow ("Bunting Yellow") stripes in the bottom half, and a four-pointed white fimbriated red ("Union Flag red") star in the canton. The flag has a ratio of 2:1.

In 1976 a Flag Commission consisting of Julio Maduro, Epi Wever, and Roland Donk met, to go over colourful designs from a contest to design a new flag. They wanted no heraldic emblems, slogans, nor writing on the flag for such flags could not be read at a distance. It had to be inexpensive to manufacture, and "unlike any other flag, so it would be distinctive to Aruba." They rejected designs that did not meet their guidelines. They also wanted a design simple enough that a schoolchild could draw it, with colours contrasting well in order to be seen at a distance. Most importantly, they insisted that the flag, in its symbols and colours, represent Arubans historically and culturally. It decided upon three designs. However it chose to bring together designs and colours that Arubans who entered the contest had used, and to make a new flag with those. By taking ideas from the entire competition, the flag would represent more than the ideas and inspirations of one contestant, and would reflect symbolically the feelings of most Arubans.

Symbols in the competition were often discs, stars, and stripes that were said to represent the sun, which was usually yellow or gold, but sometimes red. The sun's central position in Aruba's way of life and economy meant the health and happiness of all Arubans in a comfortable, benign climate. The sun also represented economic growth and national unity. Stripes were found in more than half of the entries. Some were simple tricolour flags recalling 19th-century European democracies. Others were narrow bands dividing fields of colour in more modern colour combinations, often involving blue and yellow. Another frequent symbol was a star. Stars represented the island itself, as well as liberty, unity or rebirth. But many of the stars were not the traditional five-pointed, but a bold four-pointed version. These special four-pointed stars were unlike any star found on any national flag. Deciding that the Aruban flag ought to feature some combination of stars, stripes, or discs, the Commission examined the colours they found in the contest. Blue, the most popular colour, represented the Aruban sky or the Caribbean Sea, in shades from aquamarine to dark blue. The other popular colour was yellow, nearly always said to represent sunlight. White symbolized Aruba's unique beaches, while red stood for sunset, the island's clay soil, progress, or the blood of Arubans.

The flag contest demonstrated that Arubans feel their country is unique in the world and in the Caribbean, that it enjoys an immutably beautiful sea and sunlight, and that many nationalities live in harmony. Aruba is a proud country, these flags declared, economically stable because of tourism and industry.
It was felt that the background colour had to be blue, ideally the vivid bright blue of the sea. Because Aruba is a peaceful Mecca for people around the world, the bright blue of the United Nations flag was an ideal match. Out of the blue field, a star rises in that corner, the canton, that is highest and nearest the hoist. Placing the star there meant it would be seen even when the flag is moving in the breeze. The star has, as many Arubans wanted, four points. Suggesting a compass, its four points represent North, South, East, and West, acknowledging that Arubans came from many nations in order to live in unity and strength. The star is red because much of the soil of Aruba is red, but it is bordered in white to suggest the waves beating on its white beaches. The red soil of the interior ends with white beaches before the blue sea -- a symbol of the island itself. And the star refers also to the island's unity, diversity, vigour, and beauty.

The Commission pointed out that the four points also represented the four major languages: Papiamento, Spanish, English, and Dutch. And the red in the star reminded Julio Maduro of the Indians who once lived on the island, and of blood shed by Arubans during war. White was Aruba's honesty, while blue, the colour of hope, represents its future and its ties to the past.
Finally, looking to the future, two narrow stripes were drawn across the blue field to suggest the movement toward "status aparte." Those stripes were very narrow because Aruba is apart, but not isolated as it embarks on its path. One stripe represents the flow of tourists to sun-drenched Aruba, enriching the island as well as vacationers. The second stripe is for industry, all the minerals (gold and phosphates in the past, petroleum in the early 20th century). The stripes announce a new, distinctive nationality with economic strength guaranteeing its independence, standing apart from the rest of the world, but working internationally.

The Flag Commission was happy with the flag that it had put together, but they had to find seven variations to give the Island Council a choice. They made four designs similar to the first one, but in fewer colours, some with white and blue only, others white, blue and yellow. And the original three designs that the Commission had chosen were added as well.

The flag was consistent with the Flag Commission's guidelines. The design is simple but unlike any other flag it is the only flag with a four-pointed star. It is visible at a great distance and looks good flying in the ceaseless wind of Aruba or outstretched against a wall. Its elements are large and well placed, and its colours contrast well. It is easily drawn and inexpensive to manufacture. Every colour, the star, the stripes, and placements of elements are symbolic of this island. No other country could be
represented by a white-bordered, four-pointed red star, and anyone who knows its symbolism will remember well the flag of Aruba.

Armenia - Current

2008-12-05T03:29:00.002Z

The national flag of Armenia, the Armenian Tricolour (known in Armenian as եռագույն, Erraguyn), consists of three horizontal bands of equal width, red on the top, blue in the middle, and orange on the bottom, karmir, kappoyt, narndjagooyn (Armenian pronunciation). The Flag was originally used between 1918 and 1921 and readopted by The Armenian Supreme Soviet on 24th August 1990. On 15th June 2006, the Law on the National Flag of Armenia, governing its usage, was passed by the National Assembly of Armenia.

Throughout history, there have been many variations of the Armenian flag. In ancient times, Armenian dynasties were represented by different symbolic animals displayed on their flags. In the twentieth century, various Soviet flags represented the Armenian nation.

The meanings of the colours have been interpreted in many different ways. For example, red has stood for the blood shed by Armenian soldiers in war, blue for the Armenian sky, and orange represents the fertile lands of Armenia and the workers who work them. The official definition of the colours, as stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, is: Red symbolizes the Armenian Highland, the Armenian people's continued struggle for survival, maintenance of the Christian faith, Armenia's independence and freedom. Blue symbolizes the will of the people of Armenia to live beneath peaceful skies. Orange symbolizes the creative talent and hard-working nature of the people of Armenia. Some other different interpretations of the colours of the Armenian flag include, A rainbow over Mount Ararat. Red is the blood shed and the whole is derived from the colours of the banners of the former Kingdom of Cilicia. Red: blood shed; blue: eternal land of Armenia; orange: courage. The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Ottawa states red: the sun's energy; blue: the clear sky; orange: the wheat at harvest.

Since the Armenian government does not specify the exact shades of red, blue, and orange, two different versions of the flag are in common use. The more common version consists of brighter shades, whereas the colours of the less common version are more muted. The more common version uses on the RGB scale, red 255-0-0, blue 0-0-170, orange 255-153-0. The less common, red 216-28-63, blue 85-117-196, orange 239-107-0. Other colour approximations include, Red: Pantone 199c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M100 - Y 65 - K 0, Blue: Pantone 285c / CMYK (%) C 90 - M 45 - Y 0 - K 0, Orange: Pantone 021c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M 50 - Y 90 - K 0

The ratio of the flag is 1:2.

Argentina - Current

2008-12-02T15:11:00.003Z

The national flag of Argentina dates from 1812. It is a triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue(cerulean blue), white and light blue. The Spanish word “celeste” is used to describe the colour of the blue stripes.
In 1818, a yellow “Sun of May” (Sol de Mayo) was added to the centre. The sun, is a replica of an engraving on the first Argentine coin, approved in 1813, whose value was eight escudos (one Spanish dollar). The engraving on the coin was modelled after the symbol of Inti, the Incan god of the Sun. It has 16 straight and 16 waved sunbeams. In 1978 the sun colour was specified to be golden yellow (amarillo oro), to have an inner diameter of 10 cm, and an outer diameter of 25 cm (the diameter of the sun equals 5 / 6 the height of the white stripe. The sun's face is 2 / 5 of its height). From 1978 it must be embroidered in the "Official Flag Ceremony" and the flag's official proportions became 9:14, and its official size is 0.9 by 1.4. The proportions of 1:2 and 2:3 are also in use though.

The colours of the flag are specified as, (RGB)Sky blue 117, 170, 219 Yellow 252, 191, 73 Brown 132, 53, 17. Pantone Sky blue 284c, Yellow 1235c, Brown 284c.

The full flag featuring the sun is called the Official Ceremonial Flag (Bandera Official de Ceremonia). The flag without the sun is considered the Ornamental Flag (Bandera de Ornato). While both versions are equally considered the national flag, the ornamental version must always be hoisted below the Official Ceremony Flag. In vexillological terms, the Official Ceremony Flag is the civil, state and war flag and ensign, while the Ornamental Flag is an alternate civil flag and ensign.

According to tradition, during the Argentine War of Independence General Manuel Belgrano was commanding a battle near Rosario. He noticed that both the Crown's forces and the independence forces were using the same colours (Spain's yellow and red). After realizing this, Belgrano created a new flag using the colours that were used by the Criollos during the May Revolution in 1810. However, recent research and studies would indicate that the colours were chosen from the coat of arms of the House of Bourbon the royal family of Spain, and that during the May Revolution the colour used by the criollos was a red piece of cloth, as pointed by the popular historian Felipe Pigna. Also, apparently the original flag was quite different from the current one: it had two vertical stripes, one blue and the other one white. The flag was first flown, for the soldiers to swear allegiance to it, on 27th February 1812, on the Batería Libertad (Liberty Battery), by the Paraná River. Belgrano dispatched a letter addressed to the First Junta, informing them of the newly created flag. The Junta, fearing the Spanish Crown, sent a warning to Belgrano not to fight under the flag, but by the time the reply had arrived, Belgrano had moved on, and was flying the flag on the battlefield. The letter contained the following passage translated from Spanish "It being necessary to hoist a flag, and not having one, I ordered one made, white and light blue in the colours of the national cockade; I hope Your Excellencies will find it worthy of approval." The flag was hoist for the first time in Buenos Aires atop the Saint Nicholas of Bari Church on 23rd August 1812 (where nowadays the Obelisco is located). After the declaration of independence on 9th July 1816, the flag was adopted as a symbol by the Argentine National Congress.

Antigua and Barbuda - Current

2008-12-02T14:12:00.001Z

The national flag of Antigua and Barbuda was adopted on 27th February 1967, and was designed by a Nationally acclaimed artist and sculptor, Sir Reginald Samuel who at the time, not knighted, was an art teacher in an Antiguan high school. In 1966, a national flag design competition was held for the occasion of attaining Independence. There were over 600 entries, with Mr Samuel winning the first prize of $500 for the best design. He had entered the very last minute before the deadline, and made the design in only about half an hour. He rushed to buy an envelope to get the entry to the Administration building in time.

The flag consists of a red field, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band.

The 7 point golden sun symbolises the dawning of a new era. The colours meanings are, the black for the soil and African heritage of the people, the blue for hope, the red for the life blood of slave forefathers and the dynamism of the people. The successive colouring of yellow, blue, and white (from the sun down) also stands for the sun, sea, and sand. The "V" formed by the red borders represent "Victory at last." It has been suggested that the seven points of the sun should represent the six parishes plus the sister island, Barbuda, though the designer himself did not have this in mind."

The ratio of the flag is 2:3. The red is apparently the same as the red of the British ensigns (Pantone 186c). Blue is somewhat lighter then the standard British ensign blue (Pantone 300c) and yellow is approximated with Pantone 116c.

Antarctica - Hamilton Proposal

2008-12-01T15:12:00.002Z

Another less well known proposal for an Antarctic flag is suggested by Hamilton. The pale blue strip represents pack ice, the dark blue stripe represents the night sky and the yellow stripe is a representation of the aurora australis. The famous stellar constellation the Southern Cross is shown in the dark blue stripe at the right.

Antarctica - Bartram Proposal

2008-12-01T15:06:00.001Z

Another proposed flag due to Antarctica’s unique situation is that of Graham Bartram. The Graham Bartram design uses the flag of the United Nations as its model. A plain white map of the continent on a UN blue background symbolizes neutrality (Bartram was well aware of the overlapping territorial claims of the United Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina when he designed the flag). This flag has actually been flown on the Antarctic continent as recently as 2002, when Ted Kaye (editor of Raven, the scholarly journal of the North American Vexillological Association) took several full-size copies of the flag on an Antarctic cruise. The bases of Brazil, Ukraine, and the UK all flew it from their flagpoles, making its raising "official". He presented a paper ("Flags Over Antarctica") which described the first flying of the Bartram design over Antarctica in Stockholm in 2003, at the 20th International Congress of Vexillology. It is perhaps the most popular flag for Antarctica, as seen by is prevalence on the Internet.

Antarctica - Whitney Proposal

2008-12-01T15:00:00.001Z

Several proposed flags exist, due to the unique situation of Antarctic territory. At the 1978 annual meeting of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), Whitney Smith gave a talk entitled “Flags of Antarctica”. In it he proposed his design for Antarctica: an orange flag with two hands under a sort of bowl.

The Whitney Smith design uses the high-visibility colour orange as its background (it is the international rescue colour, it contrasts the best against snow, and to avoid any confusion, is unlike almost any other national flag on Earth). The emblem consists of several components. 'A' stands for Antarctica. The bottom segment of the globe represents Antarctica's "position" on Earth (according to the modern convention of drawing maps with north on top), while the two hands holding up the globe segment represent peaceful human use. The emblem is coloured white to represent the snow and ice of Antarctica and is offset toward the hoist of the flag so as to maintain its integrity should the flag fray badly in the high winds prevalent upon the continent. However, there is no record of it ever being fabricated or used, despite being displayed in some atlases.

Antarctica - New Zealand Claim

2008-12-01T14:57:00.001Z

There are also several proposed flags associated with Antarctica.The Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica) uses the New Zealand flag, but vexillologist James Dignan's design concept was seen flying there at one time. The New Zealand flag is the basis for his design, though with an 'Ice Blue' background representing the Ross Sea, and the white horizontal bar at the bottom of the flag representing the Ross Ice Shelf.

Antarctica - French Claim

2008-12-01T14:53:00.001Z

The French claim in Antarctica consist of the TAAF(Terres australes et antarctiques françaises) which are a French overseas territory with administrative and financial autonomy, as prescribed by the Law of 6 August 1955.
The territory is composed of five districts:
- Kerguelen Islands (7,215 sq. km), with a permanent base (Port-aux-Français, 68 inhabitants)
- Crozet Archipelago (115 sq. km), with a permanent base (Alfred Faure on Ile de la Possession, 29 inhabitants)
- Amsterdam Island (or New Amsterdam, 54 sq. km), with a permanent base (Martin-de-Viviès, 29 inhabitants) and Saint-Paul Island (uninhabited, 7 sq. km)
- Adelie Land (Terre Adélie, 432,000 sq. km) in Antarctica, which is supposed to have 32 inhabitants in 1994 (most probably to maintain claims on Antarctica despite the Treaty on Antarctica, signed by France, which does not recognize any territorial claim beneath the Southern Polar Circle.)
- Outlying Islands of the Indian Ocean (Îles Éparses de l'ocŽan Indien.
The first four districts (Kerguelen, Crozet, Amsterdam and Adelie) were prescribed by the Territorial Decree of 20 October 1956.
The fifth district (&Icir;les Éparses de l'océan Indien) was prescribed by Decree 23rd February 2007, creating the district of Outlying Islands of the Indian Ocean. Beforehand, these islands have been placed under the direct authority of the Ministery of the Overseas (Ministère de l'Outremer) since 1 April 1960. Since the Decree of 19th September 1960, the Outlying Islands were administrated by the Prefet of Reunion. A Decree signed on 3rd January 2005 transferred the administration of the Outlying Islands to the Prefet, Senior Administrator of TAAF.
The Outlying Islands are made of four islands located in the Mozambique Channel (Bassas da India, Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorieuses), and Tromelin, isolated in the north of Reunion.
Bassas da India is an emerging, circular madreporic atoll, with an area lower than 1 sq. km. At high tide, Bassas de India is nearly completely submerged.
Europa is the biggest of the Outlying Islands (30 sq. km). From 1905 to 1910, two families from Reunion settled there and attempt to grow sisal and collect turtle shells. However, agriculture proved to be impossible on the island because of the huge number of rodents. A meteorological station was set up on Europa in 1949.
On Juan de Nova (5 sq. km), guano has been harvested there since the 19th century. The guano workers maintain a meteorological station.
Glorieuses Archipelago (7 sq. km) is made of Grande Glorieuse and Ile du Lys, as well as of the islets of Roches Vertes and Ile aux Crabes. A coconut plantation was grown on Grande Glorieuse from 1912 to 1958. A meteorological station was set up on Grande Glorieuse in 1960; the aims of the station are the prediction of cyclones hitting the north of Madagascar and the Comoros and assistance to maritime and aerial navigation.
Tromelin (1 sq. km) is completely isolated and scoured by the trade winds; landing is extremely difficult and agriculture is impossible because of the wind and the lack of water. A meteorological station was set up on Tromelin in 1954 upon request of the World Meteorological Organization; most cyclones threatening Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius scour Tromelin.
The Outlying Islands are nature reserves and their access is strictly restricted. Since 1973, detachments from the French Armed Forces in the South Zone of Indian Ocean are stationed on Grande Glorieuse, Juan de Nova and Europa. All the islands but Bassas da India are inhabited by meteorologists, a gendarme (except Tromelin) and scientists doing short-time missions.
Tromelin was recently claimed by Mauritius. Following the Convention on Maritime Rights adopted in 1982, with effect in 1994, the Mauritian Parliament recently extended Mauritius' territorial waters to 350 nautic miles, encompassing Diego Garcia (Britain), Coetivy (Seychelles), Saya Malha (Maldives) and Tromelin (France). In late February 2005, Brigitte Girardin, the French Minister of Overseas, "visited" Tromelin, Europa and Juan de Nova; her visit was of course more political than touristic. Madagascar and the Comoros also claim the Outlying Islands of the Mozambique Channel.

The flag of TAAF was officially adopted on 23th February 2007. The flag (without any prescribed proportions, therefore, by default 2:3) is blue with the interlaced letters "T", "A", "A" and "F" and five stars under, all white, and the national flag in canton. The flag is used in front of the office of the Pré,;fet, administrateur sup&ecute;rieur des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises in Saint-Pierre (La Réunion). The flag can also be used in the districts of the TAAF if the "inhabitants" wish to display it and if weather permits it. There are no rules of use of the flag, so that everybody can use it. It seems logical that the five stars on the new flag should stand for the five districts of the TAAF.

Antarctica - British Claim

2008-12-01T14:49:00.003Z

Britain’s claim in Antarctica consists of The British Antarctic Territories (20°W to 80°W). Britain’s claim in Antarctica differs from those of Chile and Argentina in that it does not include any lands outside Antarctica.

The history of the flag is as follows, on 11th March 1952, the Falkland Island Dependencies (constituted in 1908, divided in 1963 into British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands) were granted arms by Royal Warrant:

Arms: Per fess wavy barry, wavy of six Argent and Azure, and Argent on a Pile Gules, a Torch enflamed proper.
Supporters: In Dexter a Lion Or and in Sinister an Emperor Penguin proper upon a compartment divided per pale and representing in Dexter a grassy Mount and in Sinister an ice Floe.
Motto: Research and Discovery.
This coat of arms was transferred to the B.A.T. on 1st August 1963, with the addition of helm, crest and mantling:
Mantling: in Dexter Or doubled Gules and in Sinister Argent doubled Azure. Crest: Upon a Wreath of the colours of the Mantling a representation of the research Ship Discovery.

The Blue Ensign with the arms of the B.A.T. in the fly was introduced by Royal Warrant on 30 May 1969. On 21st April 1998 a white ensign was authorized by Her Majesty The Queen. The flag for use on land is a white ensign (without cross) with the arms of the territory, quite large, in the fly. The flag is for flying at British Antarctic bases (which previously flew the British flag) and at the British Antarctic Survey headquarters in Cambridge, England.

The British Antarctic Territory flag also has the unique trait of being mirrored on the reverse with the exception of the ribbon below which reads correctly.

The British Antarctic Survey also has a blue ensign for use on vessels at sea.

Antarctica - Argentinean Claim

2008-12-01T14:44:00.002Z

Argentina has also made a claim for territory in Antarctica and like Chile has incorporated territory outside the region. The claim known as Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur includes Tierra del Fuego (on mainland South America), the Argentine claim to the Antarctic continent and the Argentine claim to the Falkland Islands, the South Georgia Islands and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Malvinas, Islas Georgias del Sur, Islas Sandwich del Sur). It is known that Argentina, in order to add strength to it’s claim over the British territories of Falklands Islands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and also to it’s Antarctic claim (25°W to 74°W, overlapping the British and Chilean claims), joined all these territories to it’s (undisputed) mainland province of “Fireland”.

In June 1999 a celebrated contest about new flag of the province of Tierra del Fuego was held. The winning flag was designed by Teresa Beatriz Martínez, an architect from Entre Ríos. The design is called “the Albatross“. The orange part, fire colour, stands for the geography of the larger island. The blue colour stands for the sky and the sea surrounding this province and bonds it to the national flag; the stars of the Southern Cross, which guided so many travellers to these regions, also symbolize the southern location of the islands and other territorial elements that make up the province. The Albatross is a local bird and its flight symbolizes freedom.

Antarctica - Chilean Claim

2008-12-01T14:39:00.003Z

Of the countries that have laid claims to territory in Antarctica, Chile has adopted a flag for its Magellen and Antarctic Region (Magallanes y Antártica Chilena). Chile has taken the care of putting under this flag territories outside the Antarctic claim as well.

It is rectangular, having the height two thirds of its length, and is divided in two fields. The upper one is blue where the constellation grazes in the fields of the Southern Cross, and the lower with the edge serrated symbolizing a mountainous horizon, in ochre yellow. The fields are separated by a narrow white stripe. The ochre yellow is the colour of the typical vegetation of the steppe, the physiographic form most characteristic of the regional, expressive geography as well of the wealth of its ground and its subsoil. The parallel white band to the serrated edge symbolizes the snow that crowns the mountains.

Antarctica - Unofficial

2008-12-01T14:34:00.003Z

Antarctica has no official flag as it has no government or adopting authority of its own, and no state has a excepted territory claim. This has lead to may different flags being used or suggested for the continent. Due to this situation I will cover the subject of flags for Antarctica over a series of posts.

The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was set up to create treaties between nations claiming land below the 60°S parallel and its flag has become the most widely accepted to represent the continent.

The flag consists of a white map of the continent in a blue field. It is overlaid with lines of latitude and longitude, in white on the blue field and blue on the white map.

Anguilla - Current

2008-11-30T22:38:00.003Z

The national flag of Anguilla consists of a Blue Ensign with the British flag in the canton, charged with the coat of arms of Anguilla in the fly. The coat of arms consists of three dolphins, which were featured on a earlier Anguilla flag. The flag was adopted after a previous Governor of Anguilla, Mr. Brian Canty, suggested a new flag and drew sketches which were sent to London for approval by Her Majesty the Queen. The new flag, which was first hoisted on 30th May 1990.

The detail of the coat of arms is as follows, a shield containing three orange dolphins on a white background with a turquoise-blue base. The proportions of the shield, are 5/4. The shield is straight sided until 15/26 of its depth and the light blue occupies 4/13 of the overall size.

The flag is Anguilla's third flag other than as part of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla. St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla was historically an overseas territory of the United Kingdom located in the Caribbean Sea. This entity later became a province to the short lived West Indies Federation in 1958. When the regional federation of British islands collapsed in 1962, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla became involved in several attempts by movements towards another union in the Caribbean region.

In 1967, the territory of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla was granted full internal autonomy. In 1971, the island of Anguilla rigorously sought and achieved separation; in 1980, the separation from the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis was formally accepted. The island's first flag was a red blue flag featuring the name of the island in yellow and two mermaids. The second flag was the Three Dolphins flag, which immediately became popular and is still used by many People today, although unofficially. The three dolphins are coloured orange, to represent endurance unity and strength, and are in a circle for continuity. The flag has a white background, for peace and tranquillity, with a turquoise-blue base representing the surrounding sea and also faith, youth and hope. The Union Flag and the Three Dolphins flags were used for many years but there was a strong feeling that Anguilla should have its own official flag.

Angola - Current

2008-11-30T22:11:00.003Z

The flag of Angola was officially hoisted at independence on 11 November 1975. The National Flag consists of two colours in horizontal bands. The upper band shall be bright red and the lower one black. In the middle of the flag is a yellow star, part of a cog wheel and a machete. The red represents the blood shed by Angolans during colonial oppression, the national liberation struggle and the defence of the country. The black the African continent. The a cog wheel, symbolises the workers and industrial production. The a machete symbolising the peasants, agricultural production and the armed struggle. The star, symbolising international solidarity and progress. The yellow of the symbols represents the country's wealth. The symbol is clearly inspired by hammer and sickle.
An alternate representation states that yellow is to represent mineral wealth, and red and black are said to stand for 'Freedom or Death'.

Like in some other African countries this flag is a modification of the ruling party's flag. The guerrilla movement and later governing party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), used the same design with a golden star in the centre. Red stood for socialism and black for Africa. The star was modelled after the red star of the Soviet Union, which sponsored the MPLA.

The Angola flag has remained controversial. Some see it as an excessively political symbol, pointing out the similarity with the MPLA's party flag. It has also been criticized for representing memories of Angola's bloody and violent past, instead of hope for the future.

Andorra - Current

2008-11-30T17:45:00.003Z

The national flag of the Principality of Andorra was adopted in 1866. The flag is a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the centre. The vertical bars of the tricolour although at first glance appear equal, are actually of the ratio 8:9:8. The overall flag ratio is 7:10.

The coat of arms of the Principality of Andorra is made of four quarters, two for each of the co-princes. The four quarters are in the top left the one of the Bishopric, represented by a yellow mitre edged in white and yellow crosier on a red background. In the bottom left the one of Catalonia, nine equal vertical stripes of yellow and red starting with yellow on the left. The one of Foix, in the top right consisting of seven equal vertical stripes of yellow and red starting on the left with yellow and, the one of Bear in the bottom right consisting of two cows in red with blue horns, bells and hooves on a yellow background. The coat of arms is edged in beige with brown detail and on the bottom has the motto “Virtus Unita Fortior” which means "Strength United is Stronger".

The colours of the flag are Pantone Blue 072c, Yellow C, Red 199c and for the coat of arms Pantone Red 485c, Yellow C, Blue 300c, Beige 466c and Brown 478c. Full details of design and colours are available in Spanish on the following .PDF file.

The design is based on the flags of France and Spain, the two states that protect the independence of the small state. The design of vertical bars is taken from the French Tricolore, as is the blue and red. Yellow and red are taken from the Spanish flag.

From 1806 to 1866, Andorra's flag had been a vertical bicolour of yellow and red.

American Samoa - Current

2008-11-30T16:29:00.002Z

The flag of American Samoa was adopted on 24th April 1960. The flag consists of a blue field with a white triangle, edged in red, based on the fly. The triangle extends to the hoist. Within the triangle is an American bald eagle in proper colours (brown and white), flying facing the hoist side. The eagle grasps the symbol of power of the Samoan chiefs, the "uatogi" or "Fa'alaufa'i" (war-club) in its left talon, and the symbol of wisdom of the councils, the "fue" (ritual stick) in its right talon. The ratio of the flag is 1:2.

The colours of the American Samoa flag although not specified are meant to mimic those of the flag of the United States. Pantone Colours for the U.S. Flag are specified as Pantone 186 and 288 for the red and blue by the U.S. Government Printing Office , but Pantone specifies Pantone 193 and 281.

The colours of the flag, and the American eagle, holding traditional Samoan emblems, represents the protection and friendship of the United States.

Algeria - Current

2008-11-29T12:41:00.005Z

The flag of Algeria (The Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria) is constituted by a green and white rectangle embossed by a red star and a red crescent with a ratio of 2:3. The colours of the flag are Green Pantone 356c and Red Pantone 186c. The ratio and disposition are as follows, the length of the rectangle is equal to one and half its width (height of the flag). This rectangle is divided according to the small median in two halves. The green colour half is placed inside, against the shaft. The white colour half is placed outside.The star has five branches. It is inscribed in a circle whose radius is equal to the eighth of the height of the flag. It is entirely placed on the white field of the flag; two points are on the small median of the rectangle and a point is on the big median.The radius of the outside circle of the crescent is equal to the quarter of the height of the flag. The radius of the inner circle of the crescent is equal to the fifth of the height of the flag. The two points of the crescent delimit a big equal bow to the five sixth of the circumference of the outside circle. The centre of the outside circle of the crescent is in the centre of the rectangle.

The flag was first officially hoisted on 3 July 1962. The flag is said to be a variation of the flag of liberation forces of Abd el-Kader in 1837-1847, but there is no proof of that. The flag was adopted by the National Liberation Front in 1954, based on an older design, created in 1928 by the nationalist leader Messali Hadj. From 1958 to 1962 it was the flag of the Provisional Government in exile, but was retained when independence was achieved in 1962 and has remained unchanged ever since.

The meaning of the colours are disputed as either green for Islam and white for purity or white representing peace; the green, the beauty of nature; the red, the blood of those killed fighting for independence in the Algerian War (1954 to 1962) and the star and crescent represent Islam.

Albania - Current

2008-11-28T23:58:00.008Z

The flag of Albania is the silhouette in black of an opened winged double-headed eagle on a red field (Pantone 186c). The flag has the proportions of 5:7. It was adopted on 7th April 1992 and has the nickname of “flamur e Skënderbeut” (Skanderbeg’s flag). It is the only red and black flag of a recognized sovereign state.

The eagle has two possible interpretations. The eagle is said to symbolise the lack of submission of the highland Albanians to foreign conquest or it refers to the territory of Albania as the crossroads between eastern and western cultures and the unity of its peoples despite religious cleavages.

Albania, in its recent history, has used several flags consisting of variations on the black double-headed eagle on a red field.

1914. The eagle has golden beak and claws and is holding golden arrows. Above its head is a white five-pointed star.

1928. The eagle is surmounted by Skanderbeg's helmet in gold.

1939. The flag was changed to plain red with the arms: black eagle on a red shield. The shield was set between two black fasces, above it Skanderbeg's helmet in black. Below the shield a scroll with the motto FERT.

1944. Return to the pre war flag with the addition of a golden star in the upper corner, later replaced by a hammer and sickle.

1946. The symbol in the corner was removed and a red five-pointed star with golden border was set above the heads of the eagle.

1992. Albania again became a Republic, and the star was removed from the flag.

Åland Islands - Current

2008-11-28T01:28:00.005Z

Åland Islands(Finnish: Ahvenanmaa, Swedish: Åland) are a autonomous area of Finland.

The flag of the Åland Islands is blue with a red Scandinavian cross edged with yellow.
The dimensions of the flag of the Åland Islands are 16:3:4:3:26 horizontally and 12:3:4:3:12 vertically.

When Finland declared independence from Russia in 1917, the Åland islanders feared for their Swedish language and culture and mobilized for a reunion with Sweden. In the Middle Ages the Åland archipelago was a province of Sweden. Ecclesiastically the islands belonged to the diocese of Abo (Turku) in Finland, and so the province was lost to Russia in 1809. The issue was finally settled by the League of Nations in 1921. The islands were to be a part of Finland, but they were to enjoy autonomy. However, a flag was not granted until 1954. Unofficially a blue-yellow-blue triband had been in use from 1922. Several versions existed, the dominating one had equal horizontal bands. Another version had a narrower band of yellow as when the vertical yellow stripe in the cross on the Swedish flag is taken away. Blue and yellow were naturally the favourite colours, being both the colours of Sweden and the colours of the provincial coat of arms (a golden deer on blue), Therefore, when preparing a design for adoption in the early 1950s, the favoured design was a Scandinavian cross design of a blue field and a yellow and blue cross, the flag of Sweden with an extra blue cross in the middle. This proposal was rejected by the president of Finland as too similar to the Swedish flag. Alternative designs were the old blue-yellow-blue triband, the flag of Finland with an extra yellow cross in the middle, and a design where a red cross was added to the Swedish pattern. The outcome of the process was the adoption of the blue-yellow- red Scandinavian cross design. This flag was first hoisted on the town hall in the provincial capital Mariehamn 3 April 1954. The red colour was controversial at first, because people felt it lacked a local tradition. However, the colours can be said to come from the provincial coat of arms and the colours of the coat of arms of Finland. Also, experts in heraldry have found out that at one point a Swedish king hoisted a flag of exactly the same design. According to current legislation pertaining to the flag, the proportions are set as 17:26. The parts are defined as 6-1.5- 2-1.5-6 (hoist), 8-1.5-2-1.5-13 (fly). The colours are described as medium blue, golden yellow and (simply) red. Official flag days are Åland Flag Day, the last Sunday of April, and Autonomy Day, 9 June. The 1992 flag law also requires vessels operated by the government of Åland to use the Åland flag. This means that the Åland flag is also the state ensign within the Åland autonomy context. One can then say that the Åland flag is now filling the four functions it can possibly fill: Civil and state flag and civil and state ensign. The revised autonomy act (1991) for the Åland Islands gave the autonomy authorities increased powers to pass legislation concerning the use of the Åland flag, especially as concerns its use at sea. Making use of these powers, the legislative assembly of Aland passed a flag law, approved by the president of Finland on 3. August 1992 and published in Mariehamn 13. August 1992, that made the Aland flag into a civil ensign. The flag act took effect on 1. January 1993. The use of the Åland civil ensign is optional, and thus only an alternative to the Finnish civil ensign for vessels belonging in the islands. Further, the 1992 flag law gave the Åland government the power to introduce a special ensign for leisure vessels. This was done on 17. September 1998.

Official Colours
Authorities in Åland recently officially specified the colours of the Åland flag, previously only described in law as medium blue, red and yellow. According to Province Regulations No. 15, 2004, issued in Mariehamn on 8 April 2004, the flag's colours are specified in three different systems:

Natural Colour System
Medium blue = 3065-R90B
Yellow = 0580-Y10R
Red = 1085-Y90R
Pantone Matching System
Medium blue = 2945C and 300U
Yellow = 116C and 109U
Red = 186C and 185U
CMYK
Medium blue = C100-M54-Y2-K0
Yellow = C0-M16-Y100-K0
Red = C6-M100-Y100-K0

Afghanistan - Current

2008-11-27T22:39:00.005Z

The Afghanistan flag consists of a vertical tricolour running from left to right of black, red and green. The width of every coloured piece is equal to half of its length. The national emblem is located in the centre of the flag. The national emblem of the state of Afghanistan is composed of Mehrab and Pulpit in white colour. Two flags are located on its sides. In the upper-middle part of the insignia the sacred phrase of "There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet and Allah is Great" are placed along with a rising sun. The word Afghanistan and the year 1298 (solar calendar) are located in the lower part of the insignia. The emblem is encircled with two branches of wheat.

The colours used on the flag are;
Red: Pantone 186
Green: Pantone 3425
Process Black C 100%
White: Process Black C 0%

There are conflicting descriptions of the Afghanistan flag's meaning. One version states that the flag's colours represented different eras in the country's history. The black represented the 19th century era when Afghanistan was occupied and not independent; that red represented the fight for independence; and that green represented that independence was achieved. However these three colours originated in 1928. Another and more probable version is that the colour black may represent previous Afghan flags which represented the sovereign; red was possibly introduced by former king Aman Allah as a sign of progress, copied from the Soviet flag; and that green stands for Islam.

The present day Afghanistan flag was introduced in 2002 by the country's transitional government after the Taliban were defeated with only a few minor alterations to date. Afghanistan had a similar flag during its monarchist reign from 1930 to 1973, but some of its previous versions were radically different. Afghanistan has undergone many flag changes, among the most in the world, during the 20th Century.

Before the 20th Century the flag was all black. Between October 1978 and April 1980 the Afghan flag was predominantly red with an emblem in the top left corner.