When you see your country’s flag, your chest bulges up and you get swept by patriotic sentiments. Every country has stories of people laying down their lives for its flag. A flag is not a mere symbol – it carries the dreams, aspirations, and will of an entire country. Though it is just a piece of cloth, the value of a flag can’t be measured in money and wealth. That’s why all the countries in the world consider the national flag as sacred and give utmost respect to it.
A flag is designed keeping in mind the philosophies, ethos, and culture of a country. The contents of a flag possess their meaning and information. The colors, symbols, and other illustrations used in a flag represent the values the country stands for. Most of the flags in the world are recognized by a particular or combination of colors. In history, before national flags came into existence, colors where used to convey a message of warning or peace to the opposite side during a battle. Today, colors provide vibrancy and attractiveness to a country’s flag. They also carry meanings that may represent the culture, diversity, and characteristics of the region and its people.
We see all sorts of colorful national flags in the world. Red, white, yellow, and blue is the most commonly used colors in a flag. Things that are blue attract the attention of the viewer and produces a soothing effect on his mind. When it comes to astrology and spirituality, the blue color is associated with calmness, serenity, and purity. But, different countries have used things that are blue, including the color itself, to represent different purposes and meanings.
It would be fascinating to know what blue color depicts in the flag of a country. Let us go through some of them.
European Union
European Union is not a country but a union of European countries. It has 28 member countries. The European Union has blue as prominent color in its flag. The designers must have known that people wouldn’t take eyes things that are blue. It also has 12 pointed stars on five sides. People often get confused about the number of stars with the number of member countries but the stars don’t represent them. The 12 golden color stars represent the unity, solidarity, and harmony among people of the Union. Since they are arranged in a circle, it shows the strength and diversity of the countries. The blue color spread throughout the flag represents the sky and the western world under which the countries are taking shelter.
Argentina
The flag of Argentina contains two stripes of blue color running horizontally in the to and bottom portion of the flag. In the middle, it has a horizontally running white stripe. The white band has a yellow sun with a human face and it is called the Sun of May. The two stripes of blue color represent the clear sky. Things that are blue, like the sky and ocean, always find a place in a flag. The white band in the middle represents the snow of the Andes. The yellow sun in the middle reminds people about the demonstration that took place on 25th May 1810 in favor of freedom. The sun is a representation of the light the country found on the day. It is derived from the Inca god of the sun, Inti.
United Kingdom
The Flag of the United Kingdom is one of the oldest and highly revered flags in the world. It was commissioned in the year 1603 when both England and Scotland were unified. The flag is commonly known as Union Jack. The blue color in the flag represents the blue sky and it is adopted from Saint Andrews cross. The flag also consists of three crosses arranged straight and diagonally. These three crosses are adopted from Saint George, Saint Patrick, and Saint Andrew. The flag of the United Kingdom has inspired many other flags of different countries since the British ruled half of the world at some point in time. We see variations of United Jack throughout the world.
United States of America
Who doesn’t recognize the flag of the US? The flag has become a symbol of freedom and its popularity could be seen in various ways, including clothing, sports, and entertainment. The flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes of white and red representing the 13 original colonies. In the top left corner, a blue-colored square box has been placed containing 50 five-pointed stars. Even the USA couldn’t resist things that are blue. The stars are arranged in row six and five. These stars represent the 50 states of the USA. The blue color has special significance in the flag and stands for justice, friendship, truth, loyalty, and devotion. The red represents fervency, zeal, and courage, and white purity. The original flag of the USA has been adopted in parts or whole by several countries in the world.
Australia
The flag of Australia is one of the flags that are dominated by blue color. It seems things that are blue smite Australians. If you see the flag, you would notice that it is inspired by Union Jack. The Union Jack has been placed in the top left corner. Below that, we see a large seven-pointed star known as Federation or Commonwealth Star. The large star represents the federation of colonies. We also see five other stars in the flag. The four large-sized stars are seven-pointed and the one smaller star is five-pointed. The group of these stars represents Southern Cross Constellation. The flag has three colors blue, red, and white. The blue color stands for truth, vigilance, and loyalty and the red is for strength, valor, hardiness, and bravery. The white color stands for honesty and peace.
Bahamas
The country Bahamas exudes excitement, adventure, and beaches. All these qualities are illustrated through colors and shapes. The flag consists of two blue stripes at the bottom and top of the flag with a golden stripe in the middle. These colors are flanked by a black equilateral triangle at the hoisting edge. Since the Bahamas is predominantly known for its seashores and beaches, the two blue stripes in the flag represent the sea. The golden stripe represents the beaches. The triangle at the edge represents the aspirations, enterprise, and resolve of the black people on the Caribbean nation.
Finland
Finland is a Nordic country and one of the remotest countries in the world. Two-thirds of its area is covered by dense forest. The country receives a high volume of snow in the winters. These are aspects form the base of the country’s flag. The flag consists of a blue cross kept horizontally across the length of the flag. The remaining are of the flag is white. It is one of the simplest flags and represents the two different aspects of the country. The blue color represents more than a thousand lakes spread across the country. The white color represents the high volume of snow falling during winter.
Iceland
Iceland is surrounded by ocean on the outer side and the land, it holds volcanoes. It also a country of ice fields and snow. The flag bears all these aspects and conveys them through three different colors. It has red, white, and blue in its flag with a cross horizontally placed across the length of the flag. The cross bears red color representing the volcanic fires and the white color bordering the cross represents ice fields and snows. The blue color is for the ocean surrounding the country.
Israel
The flag of Israel symbolically represents the Jews’ faith and contains characteristics of Judaism. It has only two colors – white and blue. The blue color is in the form of two stripes just at the top and bottom portions of the flag. In the middle of the flag, we see a hexagram, which is known as the Star of David. The Star of David is widely known as a symbol of Judaism and Jewish people. The blue stripes of the flag represent the stripes on a Talit (A Jewish prayer Shawl). According to the Jewish faith, blue is a color of purity, God’s severity, and his glory. Due to this reason, blue has occupied most of the space in the flag. The remaining white field represents the clarity and the new beginning.
Somalia
Somalia has one of the bluest flags in the world. Things that are blue, like the Indian Ocean, surround the Somali people. Its flag is completely made up of blue color with a five-pointed star in the middle. It was said that the flag of the UN influenced the blue color. Today, the blue color in the Somalia flag represents the Indian Ocean and the blue sky. The five-pointed star symbolizes the five regions of Africa that surround Somalia. These regions are Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, Italian Somaliland, and British Somaliland.
Thailand
Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It’s a country heavily dominated by monarchy and Buddhism. Its flag bears three colors in including blue. The flag is flanked by two smaller red stripes at the top and bottom. In the middle, it has a blue stripe wider than the red ones. The remaining part is occupied by white color. In most of the flags, the blue color represents either sky or the ocean but in Thailand’s flag, it represents monarchy. The red color is a symbol of the entire nation and the blood of people who sacrificed their lives for the country. The white color represents the purity of Buddhism and religion.
