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Every country in the world has its own flag. Flags were used when a new land was discovered. Whoever first discovered it would plant their flag to signify their claim to the land. Flags came from the use of staffs or vexilloids, most commonly used to lead men into battle. These staffs were decorated with symbols and other items, giving the soldiers a unified feeling. Later these staffs were adorned with silk and other types of material, making them resemble the flags we see today. It wasn't until the eighteenth century that flags began to represent whole countries. Early on they stood for ideas, civilizations, groups, and nations. Today's flags carry symbolism that is only meaningful to the citizen of the particular countries they stand for. The stars and stripes, the national flag of the United states of America reached its current form in 1960 when Hawaii joined the USA. The flag was conceived in 1777 and since then has seen various transformations. The stripes symbolize the first 13 states that made up the USA and each state is represented by a star, thus showing 50 stars on the flag. This symbolizes the unity of all states. The flag of United Kingdom or Great Britain is also known as the Union Jack. The flag which has been the official symbol since 1801, symbolizes the three unification of three different countries; England, Scotland, and Ireland. Currently, the Union Jack represents Northern Ireland, as the rest of Ireland became its own state in 1920. A novel observation is that the Union Jack itself forms a part of the flag of some nations - Australia for one. The Canadian flag has a red maple leaf flanked by stripes of red. Despite the fact that the maple leaf was a Canadian symbol for many years, the design of the current flag was officially adopted only in 1965. The two stripes represent the Pacific and Atlantic oceans that flank the country. The flag of Barbados is an interesting one. It is represented by two stripes of blue on either side which represent the ocean and the sky, and the center which is yellow represents Barbados' beaches. The interesting part is the trident in the center, which represents Neptune. The trident is broken, which symbolizes Barbados' split from Britain in 1966 when the flag was made official. The flag of Israel shows its Jewish values. The flag consist of blue and white stripes which represent a type of Jewish shawl used for prayers, and the symbol on the center is the Star of David. The flag became official in 1948. Every flag in the world is steeped in history, symbolism, and quite often religion. Some flags have religious sayings or symbols on it, showing the values of that particular nation. New flags are created occasionally, as territories shift, and nations combine. Two fairly new flags that are easily recognizable are the flags for the United Nations and the European Union. People love their national flags and are proud of what they express. The flag tells who the people are and what they value. Flags have proudly flown for thousands of years and will continue to fly throughout the world forever.
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About the author: George Pascatt is the chief writer at Flag FX, the web's premier location when you're after accurate up to date advice and ideas about Flags. For questions or comments on any of our articles visit: www.flagfx.com/articles This and other unique content flags articles are available with free reprint rights.
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