II.

Symbols, Colors, and Designs

Many national flags were originally established to represent a king or a dynasty. On some flags the design is a plain or simple background with a significant central emblem: for example, the eagle of Albania, the dragon of Bhutan, the sun of Japan, or the sun and moon of Nepal. Modern flags that follow a similar pattern include those of Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Israel, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, Palau, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, and Vietnam. Religious symbols are also common. They include the crescent and star of Islam (used on the flags of Algeria, Azerbaijan, Mauritania, Pakistan, and Turkey, among others), religious inscriptions (found on the flags of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia), and the equal-armed Greek cross (used on the flags of Greece, Switzerland, and Tonga).

The flags of many countries incorporate historic colors. These simple two- or three-striped flags, sometimes with a coat of arms, include those of Armenia, Austria, Ethiopia, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Ukraine. The flags of many Arab nations incorporate some or all of four colors (white, black, green, and red) representing traditional Arab dynasties. These include the flags of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Other flags likewise belong to design groupings. For example, the Crusaders of the Middle Ages used crosses on their clothing for identification, each nationality selecting distinctive colors. In many cases these designs were later made into flags. All the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) use an off-center cross against a plain background. The Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom, evolved from several different cross-based flags. In 1707 England’s Cross of Saint George (a red cross on a white field) was combined with Scotland’s Cross of Saint Andrew (a white saltire, or x-shaped cross, on a blue field) to create the first Union Jack. The modern version of the Union Jack was created in 1801 when Ireland’s Cross of Saint Patrick (a red saltire on a white field) was added. Australia, Fiji Islands, New Zealand, and Tuvalu include the Union Jack in their flags. The flags of Australia and New Zealand, along with those of Papua New Guinea and Samoa, also feature the distinctive Southern Cross constellation to indicate the southern geographic locations of their countries.