The flags of English speaking countries usa flag

The flags of English speaking countries

USA FLAG

The National Flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of India saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Dominion of India on 15 August 1947. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, the term "tricolour" (Hindi: तिरंगा, romanized: Tiraṅgā) almost always refers to the Indian national flag. The flag is based on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya.[N 1]

 

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed an act establishing an official flag for the new nation. The resolution stated: “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. On Aug. 3, 1949, President Harry S. Truman officially declared June 14 as Flag Day. The history of our flag is as fascinating as that of the American Republic itself. It has survived battles, inspired songs and evolved in response to the growth of the country it represents. The following is a collection of interesting facts and customs about the American flag and how it is to be displayed:

Origins

• The origin of the first American flag is unknown. Some historians believe it was designed by New Jersey Congressman Francis Hopkinson and sewn by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross.
• The name Old Glory was given to a large, 10-by-17-foot flag by its owner, William Driver, a sea captain from Massachusetts. Inspiring the common nickname for all American flags, Driver’s flag is said to have survived multiple attempts to deface it during the Civil War. Driver was able to fly the flag over the Tennessee Statehouse once the war ended. The flag is a primary artifact at the National Museum of American History and was last displayed in Tennessee by permission of the Smithsonian at an exhibition in 2006.

• Between 1777 and 1960 Congress passed several acts that changed the shape, design and arrangement of the flag and allowed stars and stripes to be added to reflect the admission of each new state.
• Today the flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with six white. The stripes represent the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well; red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.

• The National Museum of American History has undertaken a long-term preservation project of the enormous 1814 garrison flag that survived the 25-hour shelling of Fort McHenry in Baltimore by British troops and inspired Francis Scott Key to compose "The Star-Spangled Banner." Often referred to by that name, the flag had become soiled and weakened over time and was removed from the museum in December 1998. This preservation effort began in earnest in June 1999, and continues to this day. The flag is now stored at a 10-degree angle in a special low-oxygen, filtered light chamber and is periodically examined at a microscopic level to detect signs of decay or damage within its individual fibers.

There are a few locations where the U.S. flag is flown 24 hours a day, by either presidential proclamation or by law:

               - Fort McHenry, National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, Maryland

               - Flag House Square, Baltimore, Maryland

               - United States Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia

               - On the Green of the Town of Lexington, Massachusetts

               - The White House, Washington, D.C.

               - United States customs ports of entry

               - Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge State Park, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

 

Inspiration

• After a British bombardment, amateur poet Francis Scott Key was so inspired by the sight of the American flag still flying over Baltimore's Fort McHenry that he wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Sept. 14, 1814. It officially became our national anthem in 1931.
• In 1892, the flag inspired James B. Upham and Francis Bellamy to write The Pledge of Allegiance. It was first published in a magazine called The Youth's Companion.

On Distant Shores

• In 1909, Robert Peary placed an American flag, sewn by his wife, at the North Pole. He also left pieces of another flag along the way. It is the only time a person has been honored for cutting the flag.
• In 1963, Barry Bishop placed the American flag on top of Mount Everest.
• In July 1969, the American flag was "flown" in space when Neil Armstrong placed it on the moon. Flags were placed on the lunar surface on each of six manned landings during the Apollo program.
• The first time the American flag was flown overseas on a foreign fort was in Libya, over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli in 1805.

Displaying the Stars and Stripes

• The flag is usually displayed from sunrise to sunset. It should be raised briskly and lowered ceremoniously. In inclement weather, the flag should not be flown.
• The flag should be displayed daily and on all holidays, weather permitting, on or near the main administration buildings of all public institutions. It should also be displayed in or near every polling place on election days and in or near every schoolhouse during school days.
• When displayed flat against a wall or a window, or in a vertical orientation, the “union” field of stars should be uppermost and to the left of the observer.
• When the flag is raised or lowered as part of a ceremony, and as it passes by in parade or review, everyone, except those in uniform, should face the flag with the right hand over the heart.
• The U.S. flag should never be dipped toward any person or object, nor should the flag ever touch anything beneath it.

UK FLAG

• The Union Jack,[note 1][2][3] or Union Flag, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. The flag also has official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag.[4] Additionally, it is used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas territories. The Union Flag also appears in the canton (upper flagstaff-side quarter) of the flags of several nations and territories that are former British possessions or dominions, as well as the state flag of Hawaii. The claim that the term Union Jack properly refers only to naval usage has been disputed, following historical investigations by the Flag Institute in 2013.

The origins of the earlier flag of Great Britain date back to 1606. James VI of Scotland had inherited the English and Irish thrones in 1603 as James I, thereby uniting the crowns of England, Scotland, and Ireland in a personal union, although the three kingdoms remained separate states. On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England, a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross, and the flag of Scotland, a white saltire (X-shaped cross, or St Andrew's Cross) on a blue background, would be joined together, forming the flag of England and Scotland for maritime purposes.

The present design of the Union Flag dates from a Royal proclamation following the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.[8] The flag combines aspects of three older national flags: the red cross of St George for the Kingdom of England, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland and the red saltire of St Patrick to represent Ireland - although it actually has no connection with Saint Patrick.

Notably, the home nation of Wales is not represented separately in the Union Flag, as the concept of a standardised national flag was not fully developed at the time of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 integrating Wales into the Kingdom of England. Thus, at the time of the flag's design the cross of St George represented all of England and Wales.

 

Malaysia

The flag of Malaysia, also known as Malay: Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory),[1] is composed of 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 territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities.[2] The crescent represents Islam, the country's state religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers.[3]

The flag, first raised on 16 September 1963, originated from the flag of the Federation of Malaya. Prior to the creation of the national flag, each state in Malaya had its own flag, many of which are unchanged in design to this day.

 The design of the flag is based on those of two existing flags, the flag of Majapahit and the flag of Johor, where the stripes from the flag of Majapahit were incorporated together with the canton containing the crescent and star from the flag of Johor.[4]

Selection

• When the Federation replaced the short lived Malayan Union, the federation government through the Federal Legislative Council called for a design contest for a new flag. Three flags were forwarded to the public. The first flag had 11 white stars with two Malay kris (daggers) in the middle against a blue backdrop. The second flag consisted of "concentric circle of 11 stars around crossed keris on a blue field". The third design had 11 alternate blue and white stripes and a yellow crescent and a five-pointed star on a red background in the top left hand corner". The third design was chosen as the winner - after some adjustments by switching the canton and stripe colours[5] - through a public poll held by The Malay Mail.[6] Since the Malayan state was fighting the communists during the Malayan Emergency, the five-pointed star had an ironic resemblance to the communists' symbols. Therefore, the star was modified to accommodate six more points. The Malayan flag was approved by George VI on 19 May 1950 and was first raised in front of the Sultan of Selangor's residence on 26 May 1950.[7] On 31 August 1957, it was raised upon independence at Merdeka Square in place of the British Union Flag.

Original symbolism

• As the flag was finalised for official use, the significance of the design were given as follows:[8] red, white and blue – represents Malaysia as a country belonging in the Commonwealth.crescent and star – represents Islam as the official religion for the Federation, as yellow symbolises sovereignty of the Malay Rulers and their roles as leader of the faith in the constituent states. The eleven-pointed star itself symbolises the "unity and co-operation" of said member states.The Malayan flag was designed by Mohamed Hamzah, a 29-year-old architect working for the Public Works Department (JKR) in Johor Baharu, Johore. He entered the Malayan flag design competition in 1947 with two designs that he completed within two weeks. The first design was a green flag with blue kris in the middle, surrounded by 15 white stars. The second design, which was among the three finalists, was similar to the current flag but with a five-pointed star. It borrows major design elements from the Flag of the East India Company, notably the red and white stripes. The competition attracted 373 entries and voting was made by the general public via post. Malayan senior statesman Dato' Onn Jaafar met with Mohamed Hamzah after he won the competition and suggested that the star be changed to an 11-pointed one to represent all the Malayan states.

India

The three colours are Saffron, White, and Green. Saffron: The saffron colour of the flag is a symbol of courage and sacrifice. White: The white colour represents honesty, peace, and purity. ... Green: The green colour represents faith and chivalry.

 

The National Flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of India saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Dominion of India on 15 August 1947. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, the term "tricolour" (Hindi: तिरंगा, romanized: Tiraṅgā) almost always refers to the Indian national flag. The flag is based on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya.[N 1]

Who made Indian flag?

 Pingali Venkayya

 Yet, little is known about the person who designed the Tricolour. While the flag has undergone changes in the past decades, its basic framework is credited to Pingali Venkayya. On India's 73rd Independence Day, ThePrint looks back at the life of Venkayya and his contribution to India's national flag.Why Ashoka Chakra is blue?

• The Ashoka Chakra is rendered in navy blue on a white background replacing the symbol of the charkha of the pre-independence version of the flag. The chakra signifies that there is life in movement and death in stagnation. It represents the dynamism of a peaceful change.

 

CANADA

What is the meaning of the Canadian flag?

 The flag of Canada, a red stylized maple leaf with 11 points at the centre of a white background and vertical red bands on the left and right side, not only represents the cultural heritage of the nation but also symbolizes hope, peace, tranquillity, and neutrality dominant in the country.

 Why is Canada's flag a maple leaf?

 Why the maple leaf? While the design of the flag was new, it featured a familiar symbol that had a long history of use in Canada. The maple leaf emerged in the 19th century as a symbol of Canadian identity and was everywhere in popular culture: books, songs, coins, badges, banners, and many other items.

• Why is Canada's flag red and white?

 The national colours of Canada (French: Couleurs nationales du Canada) were declared by King George V in 1921 to be red and white and are most prominently evident on the country's national flag. Red is symbolic of England and white of France, the colours having been used representatively by those countries in the past.

•  Why is the Canadian flag important to Canada?

 The winning flag was selected for the following reasons: The clarity and striking design made it easily recognizable. It used Canada's official national colours. The maple leaf had already become a popular emblem of Canadian national identity at home and abroad.

Welsh

• What was the Welsh flag before 1959?

 As the national flag of Wales, the red dragon appears to have regained popularity in the early part of the twentieth century, when it was used for the 1911 Caernarfon Investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales. It wasn't until 1959 however, that it became officially recognised as the national flag of the country.

•  Why is Wales flag a dragon?

According to Ms Llywelyn, the words dragon and dreic appeared in early Welsh texts from the 6th Century. While in the 12th Century legend of Merlin, two sleeping dragons - one red, one white - wake up and begin fighting, coming to represent the struggle between the Welsh (red) and the English (white).

New Zealand

New Zealand's first flag, the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, was adopted in 1834, six years before New Zealand's separation from New South Wales and creation as a separate colony following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Chosen by an assembly of Māori chiefs at Waitangi in 1834, the flag was of a St George's Cross with another cross in the canton containing four stars on a blue field. After the formation of the colony in 1840, British ensigns began to be used. The current flag was designed and adopted for use on the colony's ships in 1869, was quickly adopted as New Zealand's national flag, and given statutory recognition in 1902.

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