FLAGS WITH SYMBOLS

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Divided diagonally into two identical triangles, the national flag of

Papua New Guinea has bizarre objects in both halves. In the hoist part,

there are five stars arranged into the shape of the Southern Cross

(suggesting that the country is located in the Southern hemisphere),

while the right part is designed with the Raggiana bird of paradise,

an iconic Papua New Guinea bird. What makes the flag even more

unusual is the fact the designer of it was a 15-year-old schoolgirl who

won a nationwide competition for a new flag design in 1971.

TURKMENISTAN

The national flag of Turkmenistan boasts an impressive primacy – it’s

the most detailed national flag in the world. The crescent moon

(symbol of Islam), five stars (representing five provinces of the country)

and the red stripe containing five incredibly detailed and intricate

carpet designs (representing five original major tribes of Turkmenistan).

SRI LANKA

The most dominant symbol of the national flag of Sri Lanka is a

large gold lion holding a Kastane sword. The lion represents the

Sri Lankan nation and its bravery while the sword signifies the

country´s ability to protect itself. The four little objects in the corners

are Bo leaves and stand for the country´s Buddhist tradition and the

four virtues: Kindness, Friendliness, Happiness and Equanimity.

The two stripes on the left represent the Tamils and Moors,

major Sri Lankan ethnic groups.

WALES

The dragon, sometimes also known as the Welsh dragon, refers to the

legendary king Cadwaladr who ruled Wales in the 7th century and was

often associated with the dragon.

VIRGIN ISLANDS

An insular area belonging to the United States, the Virgin Islands

National flag is a simplified version of the US coat of arms. The

arrows found in the eagle’s left talon represent three major islands of

the archipelago and the letters found under the eagle´s wings

are the country´s initials.

BARBADOS

If you think the trident depicted on Barbados’ national flag is a

reference to Neptune or Poseidon, you’re wrong. Derived from

Britannia, a mythical female patron of then Roman Britain, the trident

represents the three principles of democracy.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia is one of the few countries to feature a building as the

dominant symbol of their national flag. In the case of this South East

Asian country, the building depicted on the flag is the Angkor Wat,

the iconic structure of Cambodia and the largest religious

monument in the world.

BENIN EMPIRE

The modern national flag of Benin consists of 3 coloured bands and

includes no other symbols. However, the old flag of the Benin Empire

(a pre-colonial empire in today Nigeria) was much more “interesting”.

It depicted a naked man holding a sword, beheading another person.

The exact origin of the flag is uncertain but it is generally believed

the design referred to the Itsekri People, an ethnic group that acted

as middle men between the Edo people of Benin and the

Europeans on the coast.