The national flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue Prinsenvlag, evolving in the early 17th century as the red-white-blue Statenvlag, the naval flag of the States-General of the Dutch Republic, making the Dutch flag the oldest tricolour flag in continuous use. As a flag that symbolises the transformation from monarchy to republic, it has inspired both the derivative Russian flag, and after the French Revolution in 1789, the vertically striped French tricolour; both flags in turn influenced many other tricolours. During the economic crisis of the 1930s, the old Prince's Flag with the colour orange gained some popularity among some people. To end the confusion, the colours red, white and blue and its official status as the national flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands were reaffirmed by royal decree on 19 February 1937.
The national flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colours are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colours. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white fess is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea. A similar flag with the addition of a white eagle is used as the naval ensign of Poland.
The national flag of the Russian Federation is a tricolour of three equal horizontal bands: white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom.
The national flag of Armenia, also known as the Tricolour, consists of three horizontal bands of equal width, red on the top, blue in the middle, and orange on the bottom. The Armenian Supreme Soviet adopted the current flag on 24 August 1990. On 15 June 2006, the Law on the National Flag of Armenia, governing its usage, was passed by the National Assembly of Armenia.
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 1999.
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle standards reading SPQR a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms.
The following is a list of historical military colours, standards and guidons in different countries that do not exist today.
Sámi institutional symbols are of relatively new origin, as the Sámi political institutions themselves are quite new. The symbols generally draw inspiration from old ornamental traditions such as duodji and the "runes" of the traditional shaman's drums. The symbols generally don't follow the rules of tincture, as the "Sámi colours" are traditionally placed colour on colour.
The flag of Karachay–Cherkessia, a federal subject and republic in the Russian Federation, was adopted on 26 July 1996.
The flag of Primorsky Krai is a rectangular panel, divided diagonally by a white stripe and consisting of two triangles: the top one, placed at the flagpole, red and the bottom blue. In the upper corner near the shaft there is a golden image of a Ussuri tiger walking. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3. The width of the white stripe on the shaft shall be one fifth of the entire width of the flag; the height of the tiger figure should be one fourth of the width of the flag on the pole. It is a representative, identification and legal mark, drawn up and used in accordance with the rules of vexillology. The idea of the flag was proposed by V. A. Obertas, a professor at the Institute of Architecture, FESTU.
The Flag of Novosibirsk Oblast is the official symbol of Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia.
The coat of arms of Yekaterinburg is the official municipal coat of arms of Yekaterinburg, Russia. The current symbol was adopted on 23 May 2008 and consists of a French shield divided horizontally into two fields, with a white mine shaft and a white furnace within the top field, which is green, and a blue wavy bend within the bottom field, which is gold. A gold bear and gold sable are located to the left and right of the shield, respectively. A gold crown with a gold laurel wreath is located above the shield and a gold ribbon is located below the shield. A grey druse is located at the bottom center of the shield.
The coat of arms of Perm is the official municipal coat of arms of Perm, Russia. The current design, adopted on 9 June 1998, features a red field with a silver bear with a yellow Bible resting on its back and a white four-pointed star above. The design is very similar to the coat of arms of Perm Krai.
The flag of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland is a rectangle divided into four parts. Its left part features a yellow vertical stripe, which wight equals to 1:4 of the wight of the flag. Its right part is divided into three horizontal stripes, that are, from top to bottom: blue, white, and red. In the middle of the white stripe is placed the coat of arms of the voivodeship. The first version of the flag had been adopted in 2001, and current version is used since 2013.
The coat of arms and flag that serve as the symbols of the Police County, in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland were established on 28 June 2000. They were designed by Radosław Gaziński.
The coat of arms that serves as the symbol of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, consists of the Iberian style escutcheon (shield), with square top and rounded base, that is divided in the 2 by 2 chessboard pattern. The top left field features a yellow patriarchal cross. The top right field features a white eagle with yellow crown, beak, legs, stripes on its wings, and a ring on its tail. The bottom left field features eight yellow six-pointed starts, placed in three rows, each with three stars, with the exception of the bottom row, that only had 2 stars, placed to the left.
The historical coat of arms, that served as the symbol of the Sandomierz Land, and the Sandomierz Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland, from 14th to 18th centuries, was divided into two fields, with the left field consisting of six stripes, that were alternatining either between red and white, or red and yellow colours, and with the right field consisting of several yellow six-armed stars, which number altered between seven and nine.
The coat of arms that serves as the symbol of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland is divided into two horizontal red fields. The top field depicts a white eagle, and a bottom field, a knight in a white (silver) armor, sitting on a white (silver) horse with a blue saddle and shabrack, and yellow (golden) harness, standing on its back hoofs. The knight has a blue shield with a yellow (golden) cross of Lorraine on it, put on his left arm, and hold a sword in his right hand. The current design of the coat of arms was designed by Tadeusz Gajl, and adopted in 2001.
The flag, which serves as the symbol of the city of Białogard, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in western Poland, is divided into three horizontal stripes, including a blue stripe in the middle, and two white stripes, twice its size, placed on top and bottom, and with two light red rhombuses, each placed in the left corner of white stripe. The flag was established in 2004.
