A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation. The design of a national flag is sometimes altered after the occurrence of important historical events. The burning or destruction of a national flag is a greatly symbolic act.
Aruba's national flag was adopted on March 18, 1976. The design consists of a field of light blue, two narrow parallel horizontal yellow stripes in the bottom half, and a four-pointed white-fimbriated red star in the canton. The flag was designed in part by vexillologist Whitney Smith.
The flag of Chile consists of two equal horizontal bands of white and red, with a blue square the same height as the white band in the canton, which bears a white five-pointed star in the center. It was adopted on 18 October 1817. The Chilean flag is also known in Spanish as La Estrella Solitaria.
The flag of Finland, also called Siniristilippu, dates from the beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity.
The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador was introduced in 1980 and was designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt. The flag design was approved by the House of Assembly of the province of Newfoundland, Canada, on May 28, 1980. It was flown for the first time on Discovery Day, June 24, 1980. The name of the province was changed to Newfoundland and Labrador by an amendment to the constitution of Canada in December 2001. This was at the request of the provincial legislature.
The national flag of Anguilla, a British overseas territory, 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 in a circular formation, which were featured on the earlier Anguillan flag, and which stand for friendship, wisdom and strength. The white in the background stands for peace, and the light blue represents the sea, as well as faith, youth, and hope.
The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina contains a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow right triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag. The remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle.
The national emblem of Cape Verde contains a circle within which is written the name of the nation in Portuguese. Within the circle are a torch and triangle, symbols of freedom and national unity. At the top of the shield is a plumbob, a symbol of righteousness; three chain links are at the bottom. This emblem replaces the earlier variant with the seashell that had been in use since independence. The current emblem was adopted in 1992.
The flag of Portugal is a rectangular bicolour with a field divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms is centered over the colour boundary at equal distance from the upper and lower edges. On 30 June 1911, less than a year after the downfall of the constitutional monarchy, this design was officially adopted for the new national flag of the First Portuguese Republic, after selection by a special commission whose members included Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, João Chagas and Abel Botelho.
The coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted in 1998, replacing the previous design that had been in use since 1992 when Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence. It follows the design of the national flag. The three pointed shield is used to symbolize the three major ethnic groups of Bosnia, as well as allude to the shape of the country.
The national flag of Ecuador, which consists of horizontal bands of yellow, blue and red, was first adopted by law in 1835 and later on 26 September 1860. The design of the current flag was finalized in 1900 with the addition of the coat of arms in the center of the flag. Before using the yellow, blue and red tricolor, Ecuador used white and blue flags that contained stars for each province of the country. The design of the flag is very similar to those of Colombia and Venezuela, which are also former constituent territories of Gran Colombia. All three are based on a proposal by Venezuelan General Francisco de Miranda, which was adopted by Venezuela in 1811 and later Gran Colombia with some modifications. There is a variant of the flag that does not contain the coat of arms that is used by the merchant marine. This flag matches Colombia's in every aspect, but Colombia uses a different design when her merchant marine ships are at sail. Along with Haiti, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Venezuela, it is one of only eight national flags whose design incorporates a depiction of the flag itself.
The flag of Seychelles was adopted on January 8, 1996. The current flag is the third used by the country since its independence from Britain on June 29, 1976. The colours used in the current flag are the official colours of two of the nation's major political parties–Seychelles People's United Party and the Seychelles Democratic Party.
The coat of arms of the Republic of Seychelles shows a shield, in which a giant tortoise is located on green grounds. On the ground there is a coco de mer palm tree. Behind it there is a blue sea with two islands and a sail ship to be seen. The shield is enthroned by a silver helmet, on which a white-tailed tropicbird is located above blue and white waves. The shield is supported by two white sailfish. Beneath the shield the motto of Seychelles is stated: "Finis Coronat Opus".
The national emblem of Somaliland was introduced on 14 October 1996 along with the flag of Somaliland, when it was approved by the National Conference. Having declared its independence on 18 May 1991, the region's self-declared independence remains unrecognized by any country or international organization.
The flag of St. Louis, Missouri, consists of a solid red background and three thick, wavy lines colored blue and white extending from the top left corner, bottom left corner, and center right edge. Upon the intersection of these lines there is a yellow disk containing a blue fleur-de-lis. The flag was designed by Yale University professor Theodore Sizer and officially adopted in 1964.
The Coptic flag was created in 2005 by Coptic activists in different countries to represent Coptic communities both in Egypt and in the Coptic diaspora. It is not recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and it is not recognized by any official Coptic organization. The only Coptic organization that has recognized the flag is the New Zealand Coptic Association, which is the same association that created the flag. and the Free Copts.
The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is situated in the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia.
The current flag of the state of Sabah, in Malaysia, was adopted on 16 September 1988. It is red, white and three different shades of blue. The mountain is in the canton as in the 1963 flag, but now in dark blue on a light blue background. The field is medium blue over white over red. The mountain shown on the flag is Mount Kinabalu.
The coat of arms of the Chechen Republic is the official symbol of the Chechen Republic. Approved by acting President of Chechnya Sergey Abramov on 22 June 2004.
