Flags

WORLD CRUISE

FLAGS AROUND THE WORLD

We visited 26 countries during our World Cruise.  We found it interesting to see the flags of each country then to discover the meanings of the symbols and colors.  So, around the world we go.

UNITED STATES -- The national flag of the United States of America (or the American flag) consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the "Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory," and "The Star-Spangled Banner" (also the name of the national anthem).

MARQUESAS -- The flag of the Marquesas is horizontally divided yellow-red with a white triangle placed along the hoist and stretching over the half of the flag length. A black tiki is placed in the triangle. The colors: White represents peace and the tiki with open eyes is characteristic of the culture of the Marquesas; Yellow recalls the eka dye used by the inhabitants of the archipelago to coat their body during traditional festivals; Red was the symbol of the kings of the Marquesas.

TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO -- The flag of the Tuamotus is horizontally divided red-white-red with a blue vertical stripe placed along the hoist and stretching over 2/7 of the flag length. Two rows of eight blue stars each are placed in the white stripe. The colors: the red and white stripes recall the flag of French Polynesia, whereas the blue stripe recalls the French flag and represents also the sky and the sea. The sixteen stars represent the sixteen municipalities forming the archipelago and not its number of islands and atolls.

FRENCH POLYNESIA -- The flag of French Polynesia was adopted in 1984. The red and white colors have been adopted from historic Tahitian flags. An outrigger is depicted in the central disc over a stylized emblem of sun and sea.

COOK ISLANDS --The flag of the Cook Islands is based on the traditional design for former British colonies in the Pacific region. It is a blue ensign containing the Union Flag in the upper left, and on the right, fifteen stars in a ring. The Union Flag is symbolic of the nation's historic ties to the United Kingdom. The stars stand for the fifteen islands that make up the Cook Islands. The blue represents the ocean and the peaceful nature of the inhabitants.

NEW ZEALAND --The flag of New Zealand is the British Blue Ensign, incorporating a stylized representation of the Southern Cross showing the four brightest stars in the constellation. Each star varies slightly in size. The Union Flag in the canton recalls New Zealand's colonial ties to Britain.

AUSTRALIA -- The flag of Australia is a Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The flag contains a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.

INDONESIA -- The national flag of Indonesia, which is known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih ("The Sacred Red-and-White") or Bendera Merah-Putih ("The Red-and-White Flag") or simply Merah-Putih ("The Red-and-White") in Indonesian, is based on the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire in East Java. The design of the flag is simple with two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom).  Red represents courage, while white represents purity of intent.

BALI,  INDONESIA  -- The face on the coat of arms is a highly stylized 'barong', a traditional mask in Bali. Whenever you go to Bali, barongs are everywhere. The base ornaments consist of a lotus with two leaves and two kipas (hand fans). Together with the temple, they show Bali's proudly ancient culture.

MALAYSIA --The flag of Malaysia, also known as the Jalur Gemilang (Malay for "Stripes of Glory"), comprises a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan (Federal Star). The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities. The crescent represents Islam, the country's official religion; the blue canton symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal color of the Malay rulers.

SANDAKAN -- 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 in dark blue on a light blue background. The field is medium blue over white over red. The mountain on the flag  is Mount Kinabalu. The five different colors represent the five residencies of the Sabah state. A silhoutte of Mount Kinabalu represents Sabah state.  Zircon blue color represents peace and calmness.  Icicle blue color represents unity and prosperity.  Royal blue color represents strength and harmony.  White color represents purity and justice.  Chili red color represents courage and determination.

PHILIPPINES -- The national flag of the Philippines is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays, which represent the country's provinces; and at each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star, each of which, represent the country's 3 main islands, Luzon, Visayas and Mindana.

HONG KONG --The Flag of Hong Kong (or Regional Flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China) features a white, stylized, five-petal Hong Kong orchid tree flower in the center of a red field. The flag of Hong Kong was first officially hoisted on 1 July 1997, in the handover ceremony marking the transfer of sovereignty.

VIETNAM --The flag of Vietnam, also known as the "red flag with yellow star", the red background was inspired by the flag of the communist party; it symbolizes revolution and blood. The five-pointed yellow star represents the unity of workers, peasants, intellectuals, youths, and soldiers in building socialism.

THAILAND -- The flag of the Kingdom of Thailand shows five horizontal stripes in the colors red, white, blue, white, and red, with the middle blue stripe being twice as wide as each of the other four. The colors are said to stand for nation-religion-king, an unofficial motto of Thailand, red for the land and people, white for Theravada Buddhism, and blue for the monarchy, as having been the auspicious color of King Rama VI.

BANGKOK, THAILAND -- The flag of Bangkok is green with the Seal of the Bangkok Metropolitan, in white, at the center. 

SINGAPORE --The national flag of Singapore was first adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It was reconfirmed as the national flag when the Republic gained independence on 9 August 1965. The design is a horizontal bicolor of red above white, overlaid in the canton (upper-left quadrant) by a white crescent moon facing a pentagon of five small white five-pointed stars. The elements of the flag denote a young nation on the ascendant, universal brotherhood and equality, and national ideals.

KUALA LUMPUR --  The flag colors of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia symbolize: Red for strength and courage; White for cleanliness and beauty of the city; Yellow for sovereignty and prosperity; Blue for citizenry of the city.

PENANG --The flag of the state of Penang, in Malaysia, consists of three vertical stripes of equal width of light blue, white, and yellow; the white stripe in the center has an areca-nut palm on a grassy mount on a torse of blue and white.

SRI LANKA --The flag of Sri Lanka, also called the Lion Flag, consists of a gold lion, holding a kastane sword in its right fore paw, in front of a crimson background with four golden bo leaves, one in each corner. Around the background is a yellow border, and to its left are 2 vertical stripes of equal size in saffron and green, with the saffron stripe closest to the lion. The lion represents the Sinhalese ethnicity and the bravery of the Sri Lankan nation while the four Bo leaves represent Mettā, Karuna, Mudita and Upekkha. The orange stripe represents the Sri Lankan Tamils, the green stripe represents Sri Lankan Moors, and the crimson background represents European Burghers and is also a reference to the rich colonial background of the country and the yellow border represents other ethnic groups such as Sri Lankan Malays etc.

INDIA --The National flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolor of deep saffron, white, and India green; with the Ashok Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its center. The saffron color represents courage and sacrifice; white is for truth and purity; green is for peace and prosperity; and the Ashok Chakra represents the Laws of Dharma (righteousness).

OMAN -- The national flag of Oman consists of three stripes (white, green, and red) with a red bar on the left that contains the national emblem of Oman (a curved dagger is fastened over a pair of crossed swords with an ornate horsebit links the weapons). The white stands for peace and prosperity, the green for fertility and the Green Mountains, and the red for battles against foreign invaders. The red is also the color of the former flag of the nation when it was known simply as the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- The flag of the United Arab Emirates contains the Pan-Arab colors red, green, white, and black, which symbolize Arabian unity. the individual colors have the following meanings: Green means fertility; White is for neutrality; Black for the oil wealth; Red for blood and sword.

EGYPT --The flag of Egypt is a tricolor consisting of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black bands of the Arab Liberation flag dating back to the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. The flag bears Egypt's national emblem, the Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band.

JORDAN --The flag of Jordan consists of horizontal black, white, and green bands that are connected by a red chevron. The colors stand are the Pan-Arab Colors, representing the Abbasid (black band), Umayyad (white band), and Fatimid (green band) caliphates (a state which implements a governmental system). The red chevron is for the Hashemite dynasty, and the Arab Revolt. The seven-pointed star stands for the seven verses of the first surah in the Qur'an, and also stands for the unity of the Arab peoples. Some believe it also refers to the seven hills on which Amman, the capital, was built.

GREECE  --The flag of Greece is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue canton in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes eastern orthodox christianity, the established religion of the Greek people of Greece and Cyprus. Blue and white have many interpretations, symbolizing the colors of the famed Greek sky and sea (combined with the white clouds and waves), traditional colors of Greek clothes in the islands and the mainland, etc.

ITALY -- The flag of Italy is a tricolor featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white, and red, with the green at the hoist side. Some have attributed particular values to the colors, and a common interpretation is that the green represents the country's plains and the hills; white, the snow-capped Alps; and red, blood spilt in the Wars of Italian Independence. A more religious interpretation is that the green represents hope, the white represents faith, and the red represents charity; this references the three theological virtues.

MONACO --The national flag of Monaco has two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white, both of which have been the heraldic colors of the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339.

SPAIN -- The flag of Spain consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow, and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe.  An urban legend holds that the colors of the flag of Spain derive from the bullfight arena - with the red representing the bullfighter´s blood and the yellow the sand of the arena - but this has no basis in fact. The colors of the flag of Spain were chosen as they were the colors of King Ferdinand´s own coat of arms.

PORTUGAL -- The flag of Portugal is a rectangular bicolor with a field unevenly divided into green on the hoist, and red on the fly. The lesser version of the national coat of arms (i.e. armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) is centered over the color boundary at equal distance from the upper and lower edges.

GUERNSEY --The present flag of Guernsey consists of the red cross of St. George with an additional gold cross within it. The gold cross represents Duke William of Normandy, who, it is claimed, had such a cross on his flag in the Battle of Hastings, given to him by Pope Alexander II.

UNITED KINGDOM -- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or, popularly, Union Jack. The current design of the Union Flag dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. It consists of the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England), edged in white, superimposed on the Cross of St Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which are superimposed on the Saltire of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland). Wales, however, is not represented in the Union Flag by Wales' patron saint, Saint David, as at the time the flag was designed Wales was part of the Kingdom of England.

So, now you know!