The national flag of the United States of America, often simply
referred to as 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 50 stars on the flag represent the 50
states of the United States of America and the 13 stripes represent
the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from
the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first states in the
Union. Nicknames for the flag include the "Stars and Stripes", "Old
Glory", and "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The Union Flag, commonly known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom, as
well as a flag with an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth realms; for example, it
is known by law in Canada as the Royal Union Flag. It is also used as an official flag in some of the
smaller British overseas territories. The Union Flag also appears in the canton (upper left-hand
quarter) of the flags of several nations and territories that were former British colonies.
The origins of the flag date back to 1603, when James VI of Scotland inherited the English
and Irish thrones (as James I), thereby uniting the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland in
a personal union (which 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 on a blue background, known as the Saltire or St Andrew's Cross), would
be joined together, forming the flag of Great Britain and first union flag.
The current design dates from the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The flag
combines aspects of three national flags: the red cross of Saint George, the red saltire of Saint
Patrick's Flag, and the Flag of Scotland.
The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for "the
one-leafed"), is a flag consisting of a red field with a white square at its centre, in the middle of
which is featured a stylized, 11-pointed, red maple leaf. Adopted in 1965 to replace the Union Flag,
it is the first ever specified by statute law for use as the country's national flag. The Canadian Red
Ensign had been unofficially used since the 1890s and was approved by a 1945 Order in Council for
use "wherever place or occasion may make it desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag".
In 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson appointed a committee to resolve the issue,
sparking a serious debate about a flag change. Out of three choices, the maple leaf design
by George Stanley and John Matheson, based on the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada,
was selected. The flag made its first official appearance on February 15, 1965; the date is now
celebrated annually as National Flag of Canada Day.
Many different flags have been created for use by Canadian officials, government bodies,
and military forces. Most of these flags contain the maple leaf motif in some fashion, either by
having the Canadian flag charged in the canton, or by including maple leaves in the design.
The Royal Union Flag is also an official flag in Canada.
The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union
Jack in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known
as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a
representation of the Southern Crossconstellation, made up of five white stars – one
small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.
The flag's original design (with a six-pointed Commonwealth Star) was chosen
in 1901 from entries in a worldwide competition held following Federation, and was
first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901; this date has been proclaimed
as Australian National Flag Day. A slightly different design was approved by King
Edward VII in 1902. Over the next few years, the exact specifications of the flagwere
changed several times both intentionally and as a result of confusion. The current
specifications were formally gazetted in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became
recognised by, and legally defined in, the Flags Act 1953, as the "Australian National
Flag".
In addition, there are other official flags representing Australia, its people and
core functions of government.
The flag of New Zealand is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the
canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right. The stars represent the
constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross.
New Zealand's first flag, the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, was
adopted before New Zealand became a British colony. Chosen by an assembly
of Māori chiefs 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
1841, British ensigns began to be used. The current flag was designed and adopted
for restricted use in 1869 and became the national flag in 1902. It is the British Blue
Ensign, incorporating a stylised 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.[1]
The flag proportion is 1:2 and the colours are red (Pantone 186C), blue
(Pantone 280C) and white. Proportion and colours are identical to the Union Flag.
The State flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan was approved at the Eighth Extraordinary Session of the
Supreme Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan, on November, 18, 1991. The State flag and its symbols portray
the historical links with states which have existed in the past within the borders of modern Uzbekistan and
embodies in itself the national and cultural traditions of the republic.
The color blue on the flag is a symbol of the eternal sky and life-giving water, which reflect the essence of
life. In symbolic language it represents goodness, wisdom, honesty, glory and loyalty. Consequently, the color of
Amir Temur’s state flag was also blue.
The color white on the flag, symbolizing holy peace, harmonizes with the illumination of the day and the
sources of light in the universe. The color white is a symbol of purity, transparency, innocence, the cleanliness
of desires and dreams, and a striving for inner beauty.
The color green is a symbol of the renewal of nature. In quite a few nations, it is considered to be a
symbol of youth, hope and joy.
The red stripes are tributaries of the power of life that flows in our bodies.
The depiction of a youthful crescent moon is connected with our historical traditions. At the same time it
is a symbol of the independence which we have obtained.
Stars are considered a spiritual, divine symbol for all nations. The 12 stars depicted on the state flag of
the Republic of Uzbekistan are also directly connected with our historical traditions, with the ancient calendarcycle of the sun. Our attention to the 12 stars is also explained by the development of astronomy in the
scientific thought of the ancient states within the borders of Uzbekistan. It is necessary to understand the
depiction of 12 stars on our state flag as a symbol of the antiquity of the culture of the Uzbek people, its
maturity and the striving for happiness in its land.
The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain
documents issued by the United States federal government. The phrase is
used both for the physical seal itself (which is kept by the United States
Secretary of State), and more generally for the design impressed upon it. The
Great Seal was first used publicly in 1782.
The obverse of the great seal is used as the national coat of arms of the
United States.[1] It is officially used on documents such as United States
passports, military insignia, embassy placards, and various flags. As a coat of
arms, the design has official colors; the physical Great Seal itself, as affixed to
paper, is monochrome.
Since 1935, both sides of the Great Seal have appeared on the reverse of
the one-dollar bill. The Seal of the President of the United States is directly
based on the Great Seal, and its elements are used in numerous government
agency and state seals.
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British
monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official
capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of
Dominion. Variants of the Royal Arms are used by other members of the Royal Family; and by
the British government in connection with the administration and government of the country.
In Scotland, the Queen has a separate version of the Royal Arms, a variant of which is used by
the Scotland Office.
The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three passant
guardant lions of England; in the second, the rampant lion and double tressure florycounterflory of Scotland; and in the third, a harp for Northern Ireland. The crest is a statant
guardant lion wearing the imperial crown, himself on another representation of that crown.
The dexter supporter is a likewise crowned English lion; the sinister, a Scottish unicorn.
According to legend a free unicorn was considered a very dangerous beast; therefore the
heraldic unicorn is chained,[1] as were both supporting unicorns in the Royal coat of arms of
Scotland. The coat features both the motto of English monarchs, Dieu et mon droit (God and
my right), and the motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (shame upon
him who thinks evil upon it) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield.
The Arms of Canada , also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada or
formally as the Arms of Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada, is, since
1921, the official coat of arms of the Canadian monarch and thus also
of Canada. It is closely modelled after the royal coat of arms of the United
Kingdom with distinctive Canadian elements replacing or added to those
derived from the British.
The maple leaves in the shield, blazoned "proper", were originally
drawn vert (green) but were redrawn gules (red) in 1957 and a circlet of
the Order of Canada was added to the arms for limited use in 1987. The
shield design forms the monarch's royal standard and is also found on
the Canadian Red Ensign. The Flag of the Governor General of Canada, which
formerly used the shield over the Union Flag, now uses the crest of the arms
on a blue field.
In the top half, from left to right, the states represented are: New South
Wales, Victoria and Queensland. In the bottom half, from left to right: South
Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. Above the shield is the sevenpointed Commonwealth Star or Star of Federation above a blue and gold wreath, forming
the crest. Six of the points on the star represent the original six states, while the seventh point
represents the combined territories and any future states of Australia. In its entirety the
shield represents the federation of Australia.
The Red Kangaroo and Emu that support the shield are the unofficial animal emblems of
the nation. They owe this recognition to the fact that they are native Australian fauna (found
only on that continent), and likely chosen because they are the most well-known native
Australian animals large enough to be positioned together in scale holding up the shield. It is
often claimed these animals were chosen because neither animal can move backward, only
forward - i.e. progress. In reality both animals can move backwards, but infrequently do. In
the background is wreath of Golden Wattle, the official national floral emblem, though the
representation of the species is not botanically accurate. At the bottom of the coat of arms is
a scroll that contains the name of the nation. Neither the wreath of wattle nor the scroll are
technically part of the official design described on the Royal Warrant that grants the armorial
design.
Since 1911, the central shield has remained unaltered: a quartered shield containing in
the first quarter four stars representing the Southern Cross constellation, as depicted on
the national flag, but with the stars in different proportions; in the second quarter, a golden
fleece representing the farming industry; in the third, a wheat sheaf representing agriculture;
and in the fourth, two hammers representing mining and industry. Over all this is a pale, a
broad vertical strip, with three ships representing the importance of sea trade, and the
immigrant nature of all New Zealanders.
Before 1956, the shield was identical, but the surrounding features were different. The
crest was a demi-lion (the upper half of a rampant lion) holding the British Union Flag, and the
scroll at the shield's base featured the then motto of the country, "Onward". Early renditions
of the Coat of Arms are often featured with more stylised scrolling rather than fern leaves.
The original supporters were also slightly different. The woman had reddish-brown hair,
and both figures faced forward rather than towards the shield. Though there is no direct
documentary evidence, it is likely that the original model for the woman
was Wellington socialite Alice Spragg. The model for the Māori warrior is unknown.
The state emblem of Uzbekistan was adopted on July 2, 1992. It is similar to the
emblem of the previous Uzbek SSR. Like other post-Soviet republics whose symbols
do not predate the October Revolution, the current emblem retains some
components of the Soviet one. Prior to 1992, Uzbekistan had an emblem similar to
all other Soviet Republics
The emblem is in the form of a circle and mainly bears the national colors blue,
white, and green. On the left there is a cotton plant and to the rightwheat borders
the coat of arms, cotton and wheat are the two major agricultural products of the
country.
It is surmounted by the star of Rub El Hizb (۞), a symbol of Islam, which a
majority of Uzbeks profess.
In the middle, a khumo, symbol of happiness and love of freedom, beats its
wings. In the background a birdseye view of Uzbekistan is painted. The
rising sun over the mountains with its sun rays rounds off the image.
The two rivers behind the bird, leading to the mountains, symbolize the Amu
Darya and Syr Darya.