UNUSUAL THINGS ON FLAGS

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.