The History Of Some Of The Worlds Flags
By: George Pascatt

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 flag of the United States of America is also known as the stars and stripes. This flag was completed in 1960 when Hawaii joined the USA. Until then it had been constantly revised since 1777. 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.

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 flag of Canada is a red maple leaf flanked by stripes of red. This flag design was officially adopted in 1965, although the maple leaf was a Canadian symbol for many years before that. The two stripes are said to represent the Pacific and Atlantic oceans which 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.

All flags are rich in heritage, steeped in history, symbolism, and very often religion. There are many flags that have religious sayings or symbols on them. Sometimes, flags go through a transformation owing to shift in territories shift and creation of new nations. The flags of the United Nations and the European Union are two new flags in this impressive galaxy.

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.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

About the author: George Pascatt is the your host at Flag FX, a fantastic website to visit if you're looking for accurate up to date advice and discussion about Flags. For further information on Flags please visit: www.flagfx.com/articles
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