UNUSUAL THINGS ON FLAGS
Added on: 9th Apr 2015
MOZAMBIQUE
When it comes to national flags bearing weapons, nothing compares
to that of Mozambique. Symbolizing the country´s defence and
vigilance, the national flag of Mozambique is “decorated” with an
AK-47 assault rifle. The open book symbolizes the importance of
education and the hoe represents the country’s agriculture.
BHUTAN
It’s generally known that the dragon is a very important symbol in
many Asian countries but Bhutan is one of few that has designed
their national flag with the creature. The dragon depicted on the flag
is Druk, the legendary Bhutanese thunder dragon holding a jewel
called norbu. The yellow part signifies the country´s civil tradition
while the red half represents the Buddhist spiritualism.
SWAZILAND
On the national flag of Swaziland, you’ll find a black and white shield
(showing that people of various colours can live together) and two
spears. The three blue objects are feathers of the widowbird and the
lourie. Having the highest importance, the symbol of the feathers
can only be used by the country´s king.
KYRGYZSTAN
What may look like a shining tennis ball is actually the sun crossed by
two sets of three lines, a stylized representation of the crown of the
traditional Kyrgyz portable dwelling structure called yurt. There are
40 identical rays placed around the sun that – according to a popular
legend – signifies 40 Kyrgyz tribes unified against the Mongols by
the epic hero Manas.
BELIZE
While most national flags contain a moderate amount of symbols and
figures, the design of Belize´s national flag is very complex. The centre
of the flag features mestizo and black woodcutters armed with cutting
tools and surrounded by 50 mahogany leaves, referring to the
logging industry which has been a major industrial sector of the country.
LIBYA
Used between 1977 and 2011, the Libyan national flag was the only
flag in the world with just one colour and no design, insignia, or
other details. The purely green design was chosen by then Libyan
leader Muammar Gaddafi to symbolize his political philosophy and Islam.
In 2011, after Gaddafi was killed, an earlier version of the flag was
re-adopted.
NEPAL
The national flag of Nepal has one interesting primacy – it’s the
world’s only non-quadrilateral national flag. The design consists of
the simplified combination of two single pennants featuring symbols
of the crescent moon and the sun. Until 1962, the flag was even more
bizarre as the sun and moon emblems had human faces, which made
them look like modern emoticons.
KENYA
Kenya is another African country with spears on its national flag.
Along with the dominance of red in the central part of the flag, they
symbolize the protection of the country and the blood shed during
the fights for independence. The black colour in the upper part
represents Kenyan people and the green band signifies the
country´s landscape.
ISLE OF MAN
Located between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown dependency, known
for its unusual flag. Three armoured legs with golden spurs joined
together are juxtaposed against a red background. Officially
known as the triskelion, this bizarre symbol was once used by
the ancient nations of the Mycenaeans and the Lycians thousands
of years ago. The Isle of Man has used this symbol since
1932 but it’s not certain why they adopted it.
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