This edition of The Flag Review is on a flag near to my heart. Today is Colombian Independence Day and what better way to celebrate it than with a review of its flag. Join me as we discuss the country of Colombia and the flag that represents it.

Colombia is a nation situated in northern South America. The nation borders five different countries, with Panama to its northwest, Venezuela to its east, and Brazil, Peru and Ecuador to its south. Its unique location on the continent makes it the only country in South America to border both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The capital of Colombia is Bogotá, which lies in the center of the nation. Colombia is a major exporter of petroleum, coffee, and gold and is the world’s leading producer of emeralds. The nation is also known for its beautiful beaches, stunning landscapes, and diverse indigenous plants and animals; it is the third most biodiverse country in the world, behind only Brazil and Indonesia.

Before the Spanish arrived, Colombia was inhabited by many indigenous civilizations. One of the most well-known civilizations was the Muisca (or Chibcha), who inhabited the area around present-day Bogotá up until the arrival of the Spanish.

The first explorer from Europe to discover the area that is now known as Colombia was Alonso de Ojeda, who landed on its shores in 1499. Shortly after, in 1509, Spanish colonies would begin to appear along the coast of Colombia. In 1533 Cartagena was founded by the Spanish and quickly grew due to trade and the search for gold. As exploration of the New World continued, Spanish conquistadors ventured deeper into South America. The city of Santa Fe de Bogotá (Colombia’s capital) was founded in 1538 as part of the ventures by Spanish conquistadors into mainland Colombia. By this time, the Spanish had claimed most of northern South America and, north of Bogotá, established the New Kingdom of Granada, a collection of settlements which encompassed many areas of modern-day northern Colombia. The Viceroyalty of New Granada was established by the Spanish in 1717, which, over the following decades, included the New Kingdom of Granada along with other areas of present-day Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

While Spanish colonies expanded, the strength of the Spanish Empire waned, and with the weakening powers of the crown, calls for independence and sovereignty grew in New Granada. July 20, 1810, the United Provinces of New Granada, consisting of most of modern-day Colombia, declared independence from Spain. The six years in which this nation existed (1810-1816) are known as la Patria Boba, or “the Foolish Fatherland” due to the nation’s short existence. By 1816, the Spanish Empire reconquered the region and Colombia was once again ruled under the Viceroyalty of New Granada. Despite its recapture, present-day Colombia still recognizes July 20, 1810 as its official Independence Day. 

Spanish reconquest of Colombia would not last long. Just east of Colombia, the famous Simón Bolívar (known as “El Libertador”’), continued the fight for Independence in Venezuela from Spain. By 1819, Bolívar would lead the regions of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia in revolution against the Spanish Empire. While the fight for independence raged, Gran Colombia was founded in 1819, which consisted of Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador; Simón Bolívar was elected its first president.

Despite its eventual victory against Spain, Gran Colombia would see many internal struggles in its attempts to keep northern South America united under one nation. By 1831, the nation would dissolve, leaving three independent states: Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada. New Granada would undergo a number of constitutional, border, and title changes in its history, from the Republic of New Granada in 1831, to the Granadine Confederation in 1858, to the United States of Colombia in 1863, to its final present-day Republic of Colombia in 1886.

Present-day Colombia has seen much political unrest since its formation. From the late 19th century and continuing into much of the 20th century, politics in Colombia was dominated by two parties, the Conservatives and Liberals. The power struggle between these political parties resulted in two separate civil wars, the Thousand Days’ War in 1899 and La Violencia in 1948 (which began with the assassination of the sitting president). La Violencia ended with a truce between the Conservative and Liberal parties, concluding the ten-year-long bloodshed. However, the truce did not resolve the political problems of the nation. 

In 1964, corruption, pressure from foreign powers due to the Cold War, and increased tension between various left and right political groups sparked a war known simply as the “Colombian conflict”, a complicated fight between multiple foreign and domestic political, paramilitary, and cartel groups. Tensions between opposing political parties gave rise to many political paramilitary and guerrilla groups, including the well-known Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The conflict, and Colombia’s coca production, also spawned large-scale illegal drug manufacturing and trade. For much of the 1970s and 1980s, Colombian drug cartels held considerable power over the country. By the 1990s, Colombia was the world’s main producer of refined cocaine. As the cartels, paramilitary government forces, and guerrilla groups all vied for control of the country, violence in Colombia continued into much of the late 20th century and early 21st century, resulting in the deaths of over 200,000 people and millions of displaced civilians. The Colombian conflict continues to this day, but attempts at peace talks have been made over the last few decades, including the famous 2016 ceasefire agreement signed between the Colombian government and FARC.

The reason I went into such detail about the history of Colombia is twofold: first, I think historical context can provide important insight into design choices of a nation’s flag. But second, and most important, I wanted to highlight that, despite instability, fighting, and shifts in power, Colombia has maintained the same flag since 1861, which shows that its people maintain loyalty to their country and recognition of their history.

The origins of Colombia’s flag, El Tricolor Nacional, comes from its history during the Spanish American wars of independence. The Venezuelan revolutionary leader, Francisco de Miranda, used the horizontal tricolor of yellow, blue, and red (all of equal size) as his personal flag during his attempt to start a revolution in Venezuela against the Spanish Empire. Sources vary on the meaning behind the colors. One suggestion I found was that the design was inspired by his fight for independence from Spain, with yellow symbolizing the Americas, red for the Spanish Empire, and blue for the Atlantic ocean separating the two. However, there is no official meaning behind the colors. The flag was first used by Miranda in 1806 in his failed attempt at revolution. However, just four years later, the Venezuelan War of Independence began and the flag design was adopted by the new government of Venezuela. The areas of Colombia and Ecuador would also join in Bolívar’s revolution and fly the same banner to represent their fight for independence.

Eventually, the revolutionaries would defeat the Spanish Empire and Gran Colombia was formed. It’s no surprise, then, that the same tricolor of yellow, blue, and red would be used to represent this new nation. Some sources suggested the original flag design of Gran Colombia was similar to modern-day Colombia’s flag with the yellow stripe at the top edge half the width of the flag and the red and blue stripes of equal size on the bottom half (a 2:1:1 ratio); included in this flag was the Gran Colombia coat of arms (which changed over the course of the nation’s existence) in the upper hoist (the canton). In later designs, the flag of Gran Colombia has equal size horizontal stripes with the seal of Gran Colombia in the center. Though Gran Colombia would break apart, the nations which spawned from Gran Colombia (with the exception of Panama) would maintain Miranda’s original design with minor variations. Present-day Colombia would undergo modifications to their flag before settling on their current bandera.

The flag design changes coincided with their changes in government during the early-to-mid 1800’s. For instance, as the Republic of New Granada in 1831, the flag was of three uniform bands of yellow, blue, and red, but as a vertical tricolor. The final and current flag design, “The National Tricolor”, was officially adopted on November 26, 1861. It officially arranged the three bands horizontally and made the yellow stripe double the width of the blue and red stripes.

The flag of Colombia closely resembles Miranda’s tricolor of yellow, blue, and red, but with the Gran Colombia stripe ratio of 2:1:1. The flag’s total proportions are considered 2:3. There are no coat of arms or charges in Colombia’s national flag, which contrasts to its flag counterparts of Venezuela (containing 8 stars in an arc shape at the flags center within the blue stripe) and Ecuador (containing the country’s coat of arms in the flag’s center).

The flag of Colombia stands as a testament to simplicity and thoughtful flag design. It’s a beautifully-crafted flag with a powerful story behind its creation. A top-tier international flag, the National Tricolor perfectly captures the vibrant culture and rich history of the country. Colombia has seen much violence over the last few decades, but its flag, whose design has endured for over 160 years and whose origins go back even further, serves as proof that the people of Colombia share a common identity, with each other and with their neighboring countries and there is more that unites Colombians than divides them.

Thank you for reading. Happy Independence Day, Colombia!

Sources

BASTA YA! Colombia: Memories of War and Dignity. (2016). National Center for Historical Memory. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://centrodememoriahistorica.gov.co/descargas/informes2016/basta-ya-ingles/BASTA-YA-ingles.pdf

Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Colombia. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/colombia

Colombia. (n.d.). CRW Flags. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/co.html

Colombia country profile. (2023, February 14). BBC. Retrieved July 17, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19390026

Colombia – Historical Flags (pre-1856). (n.d.). CRW Flags. Retrieved July 17, 2023, from https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/co-hist.html

Great Colombia Federate Republic (1819-1830) – Part 1. (n.d.). CRW Flags. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/co-gran.html

Kaplan, O. (2014, June 13). Colombia Calls a Draw in the War on Drugs. Foreign Policy. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/06/13/colombia-calls-a-draw-in-the-war-on-drugs/

Kline, H. F. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Colombia. Scarecrow Press.

Nash, M. H. (2022, September 22). The 201 Most (& Least) Biodiverse Countries – The Swiftest. The Swiftest. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://theswiftest.com/biodiversity-index/

National symbols and other information of interest. (n.d.). Cancillería. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/en/national-symbols-and-other-information-interest

Ospina, C. (2016, May 24). Chapter 6 Colombia and the FARC: From Military Victory to Ambivalent Political Reintegrat. PRISM. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://cco.ndu.edu/News/Article/780177/chapter-6-colombia-and-the-farc-from-military-victory-to-ambivalent-political-r/

Parsons, J. J., Kline, H. F., Garavito, C., Gilmore, R. L., & McGreevey, W. P. (2023, July 18). Colombia. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Colombia

PBS. (n.d.). Colombian Cartels. PBS. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/business/inside/colombian.html

Presidencia de la República de Colombia. (2006). La Bandera Colombiana. Presidencia de la República de Colombia. Retrieved July 6, 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20120427183809/http://www.presidencia.gov.co/prensa_new/historia/bandera1.htm

University of Massachusetts Amherst. (n.d.). Colombia (1964 – ). Modern Conflicts: Conflict Profile. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from http://peri.umass.edu/fileadmin/pdf/Colombia.pdf

Znamierowski, A. (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Lorenz Books.

Zambia is a landlocked country located in the southern portion of the African continent. It shares borders with eight nations, including Angola to the west, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north and Malawi to the east. The country holds many scenic landscapes and, despite its large population, most of the country remains uninhabited.

Zambia was first inhabited by a multitude of people generally known as the Khoisans. The Bantu Expansion at the start of the first millennium led many people from North Africa to settle in the region currently known as Zambia. This migration also brought more modern agricultural practices. By the 16th and 17th centuries, established kingdoms became more apparent in the region. Around one hundred years later, the first European explorers would visit the region now known as Zambia.

Interest in Africa by European nations in the 18th and 19th century for the continent’s resources led to Zambia’s eventual colonization by the British Empire. The British South Africa Company was chartered in 1889 to mine for gold in southern Africa. The company would grow to form two British colonies by the early 1920’s, Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) and Northern Rhodesia (modern-day Zambia).

In 1953, a Federation was created between Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland (another British colony which would become modern-day Malawi). However, support for the Federation did not last and as opposition grew, so did North Rhodesia’s desire for independence. On October 24, 1964, North Rhodesia officially became the Republic of Zambia, an independent and sovereign country. Despite its freedom from colonial rule, the nation experienced turbulent years post-independence, brought about by internal fighting and political strife in neighboring countries and colonies. The first elected president of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, ruled the country from its independence in 1964 until 1991. His time in office was marked by poor management of existing infrastructure as well as a tyrannical government with one-party rule. Despite the large number of natural resources in the country, the mismanagement by the Kaunda regime and the increasing economic problems of the country led to growing opposition against Kaunda in the 1990s. Nation-wide protests sparked by the Kaunda regime’s violent suppression of its opposition forced Kaunda to permit multi-party elections. In the 1991 presidential election, Frederick Chiluba was elected the president of Zambia, ending Kaunda’s 27 year reign.

After a decade of further instability in the 1990’s, Zambia experienced economic growth in the early 2000’s. Part of this growth was due to increases in worldwide copper prices (copper being the biggest export of Zambia). While present-day Zambia has been criticized for its poor human rights laws and limited free speech, the country continues to see economic growth, in large part due to foreign investors looking to capitalize on Zambia’s rich natural resources.

Natural resources are a great segue for exploring Zambia’s flag. Let’s dig into this, may I say, unique national flag.

The flag of Zambia was designed by Gabriel Ellison, a graphic designer from Lusaka (the capital of Zambia). It was first flown when Zambia gained independence in 1964. Slight modifications were made to the flag’s colors and eagle in 1996, but the main flag design remained unchanged.

The flag’s proportions are 3:2, a fairly common ratio for national flags. It consists of a green field; the green in the flag’s original design in 1964 was darker than the green used in today’s official design. Sitting atop the field, on the upper fly of the flag, is an orange eagle. Below the eagle, on the lower fly, is a three-color rectangle of (from hoist to fly) red, black, and orange vertical stripes. For a more exact description of the flag, here is an excerpt from Zambia’s National Flag and Armorial Ensigns Act:

“Green with an orange coloured eagle in flight over a rectangular block of three vertical stripes coloured from left to right in red, black and orange; of overall dimensions 3:2”

I will note that this same Act makes any insult of the flag an offense punishable by up to two years in prison. It also limits a Zambian’s personal display of the national flag to special holidays only, unless special permission is given by the government. There are actually a lot of restrictions to using the flag, with many offenses punishable by jail time. 

While most flags typically place charges and emblems on the upper hoist (canton) of the flag, Zambia’s unusual design places the eagle and rectangular charge on the fly. It is said that the reason for placing charges and emblems closer to the hoist is for identification of worn flags; when a flag is flown outdoors, such as on a ship, and exposed to the weather for long periods of time, the fly tends to wear before the hoist. By placing charges on the canton, even when a flag’s fly is tattered, the flag is still identifiable. If the flag were to rip or tear on the end of Zambia’s flag, it might be difficult to identify it from a far distance, making its design somewhat impractical. However, I think it gives the flag character. No doubt people might disagree with me, but in my opinion, Zambia’s placement of the eagle and three-color rectangle gives the flag some character in a world of flags that can sometimes become stale, with the same patterns used ad nauseam (how many national tricolor flags can we have before they all start to look identical?).

As for the colors used in the flag: according to some of the sources I found on the flag of Zambia, the orange eagle on the upper fly symbolizes the nation’s ability to overcome hardships. The vertical stripes below the eagle hold the following meanings: red for the country’s fight for independence, black for the Zambian people, and orange for the abundant minerals. The flag’s green field represents the nation’s natural resources, which is fitting, as the country is home to Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Far too often, I feel that flag designs can become a blob of the same patterns used over and over again and they get lost in an endless sea of bland, boring flags. The flag of Zambia breaks from the norm and gives us an original design that makes the viewer pause and ask, “What is that flag?” I won’t argue that the color palette of the flag is my favorite (it’s not by any means), but Ellison’s flag design does something that not many flag designs do: it makes us question if there really are rules for good flag design.

Thanks for reading. Have a Merry Christmas and see you in 2023!

Sources

Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Libya. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/zambia/

The Flag of Zambia | Embassy of the Republic of Zambia in Washington, D.C. (n.d.). Embassy of Zambia. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.zambiaembassy.org/page/the-flag-of-zambia

Gabriel Ellison, the woman who assisted in designing the national flag died this week. (2017, July 21). Lusaka Times. https://www.lusakatimes.com/2017/07/21/gabriel-ellison-woman-assisted-designing-national-flag-died-week/

History. (n.d.). Copperbelt Provincial Administration. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20211205115558/https://www.cbt.gov.zm/?page_id=4385

The National Flag and Armorial Ensigns Act. Chapter 6 (1994). Ministry of Legal Affairs, Government of the Republic of Zambia. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.parliament.gov.zm/node/688

Republic of Zambia. (n.d.). CRW Flags. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.fotw.info/flags/zm.html

Zambia History. (n.d.). Zambia Tourism. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.zambiatourism.com/about-zambia/history/

Znamierowski, A. (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Lorenz Books.

What struck me while watching the movie was the use of flags in many shots, most notably the flags of the United States and Libya. That inspired me to write today’s Flag Review on Libya. Let’s take a look into this troubled nation’s flag and explore a bit about the country and its history.

Libya is a nation located in North-Central Africa on the Mediterranean Sea, in a region known as the Maghreb. In its long history, Libya has been under the rule of many powerful empires, including (but most definitely not limited to) the Carthaginians, the Achaemenid Empire (or the First Persian Empire), Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Romans, the region fell to the control of the Byzantine Empire.

The birth of Islam in early 7th centrury led to major Muslim conquests of North Africa and Persia. By 647 AD, the army of the Rashidun Caliphate conquered Tripoli from the Byzantine Empire and controlled much of the Libyan coast. Between 647 AD and 1550 AD, the region would witness power struggles between many Muslim Caliphates, dynasties and brief European conquests. During this time, Islam as a religion would entrench itself into the culture of the region.

By 1551, the Ottoman Empire, which was rapidly expanding across the Middle East and the Balkans, occupied the Libyan region. This weak reign (a series of internal conflicts and civil wars in the Tripolitania region would break out during Ottoman rule) lasted up to 1911: the start of the Italo-Turkish War. The result of this war was Italian colonization of the region. Two decades after the war, Italy established Italian Libya or “Italian North Africa”, which held the same borders as modern-day Libya. Italian rule saw the start of major infrastructure and industrial projects that looked to modernize Libya. The Italian colonization, however, was met with resistance by the Libyan people. In addition, Libyans were subjected to harsh treatment by the Italians, which resulted in the death of many indeginous people in the region.

During World War II, Libya would be liberated from Italian occupation as the Allies pushed through North Africa and across the Mediterranean towards Sicily. In the years following the war, the region would be administered by Allied forces. In 1951, with the assistance of France and the United Kingdom, Libya declared its independence as a sovereign nation and established the Kingdom of Libya. It was led by King Idris I, a prominent Libyan political figure and leader of the Senussi, a Muslim order well-known in Libya. Eight years later, the discovery of oil reserves in the nation quickly transformed Libya into an extremely wealthy nation.

It’s during this time that Libya’s flag would take shape. The same year that Libya gained independence, the Libyan Constitution established the official national flag. The flag (a 1:2 ratio) consists of three horizontal stripes of (from top to bottom) red, black and green, with the black stripe being twice the width of the other two. In the center sits a white star and crescent charge.

Black, green, red and white are of major importance in the Arab world. They make up the Pan-Arab colors and are used in many Middle East nation flags. Their origins come from Islam and the Muslim dynasties that spawned from the religion’s founding. Original depictions of the Prophet Muhammad were shown with white and black flags. Green and red were also seen as representing Islam and were used by some Muslim dynasties. In the early 1900s, these four colors would be incorporated in the flag used by Hijaz in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Their flag would inspire many nations of the Middle East to include the same colors. It’s no surprise, then, that Libya’s flag would use the Pan-Arab colors to highlight Islam’s importance in the nation’s history.

Some might be wondering if this flag is part of the Pan-African flag family, due to its horizontal tricolor of red, black and green. While it is true that the flag of Libya bears an extremely close resemblance to the Pan-African flag, it is unlikely the flag was influenced by Pan-Africanism. Libya’s past is deeply rooted in Islam and the country is in close geographic proximity to the Middle East. Further, government documents outlining Libya’s flag suggest the colors of the flag hold religious meaning.

The star and crescent are also well-known symbols in North Africa and the Middle East. The crescent held importance to Ancient civilizations, such as the Babalonyans and the Carthaginians . After the founding of Islam, the crescent became associated with the religion. Turkey’s use of the star and crescent in their flag (following the end of the Ottoman Empire) influenced many other Arab nations, including Libya, to incorporate the symbols in their own flag. In Libya’s flag, the unique white star and crescent on a black field may have originated from the flag of Cyrenaica. Cyrenaica was a proposed emirate (encompassing the eastern area of modern Libya) by King Idris and the United Kingdom in 1949, which was never officially recognized by the United Nations.

King Idris’ rule and the Kingdom of Libya would not last long. In 1969, Libyan military colonel, Muammar Gaddafi (sometimes spelled as Qadhafi), and his fellow commanders launched a coup d’état, overthrowing the King and establishing the Libyan Arab Republic. However, the nation was far from a Republic. Gaddafi developed a cult of personality and ruled as a dictator, inprisoning and murdering any opposition to his regime.

Under Gaddafi’s command, Libya flew under a few flags, but the one I want to highlight is probably the most memorable. Behold, the green flag of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, or the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Gaddafi changed the nation’s name a number of times). 

Adopted by Libya in 1977, this fantastic flag is literally a green field. Besides being a symbol of Islam, green was also used to represent Gaddafi’s philosophy, which he published in a book titled… can you guess… The Green Book. You will find this flag as an example of a bad flag in “Good” Flag, “Bad” Flag by Ted Kaye, as it has no unique symbolism or design and cannot be identified if it were in grayscale. However, I would argue its use of a single color is, in itself, unique. Further, there are many tricolor flags one could not identify in grayscale. Gaddafi’s flag is not creative (and represents years of oppression by a ruthless dictator), but it’s definitely memorable.

The early 2010s saw Gaddafi’s power begin to collapse. The Arab Spring movement led to many anti-government protests across the Arab world. Such movements found their way to Libya and in 2011, protests began across the nation demanding an end to the Gaddafi regime. Their demands, however, were ignored and Gaddafi’s regime refused to relinquish control of the nation. This led to the start of the Libyan Civil War, which concluded eight months from the start, with the death of Gaddafi and an end to his more than 40 years in power. During the war, the old 1951 flag of Libya resurfaced and was used by rebel factions as a symbol of opposition to Gaddafi and his supporters. This flag is still in use today to represent the new Libya.

Gaddafi’s death left a power vacuum in Libya, with competing rebel groups vying for control of the country. The nation’s instability provided the perfect breeding ground for the formation of many radical militant groups. One such group, Ansar al-Sharia, was responsible for the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi in 2012.

Today, Libya is still in turmoil. A second civil war broke out in 2014. While a ceasefire was negotiated between the warring factions in 2020, internal fighting continues to plague the country. Its political and economic forecast is dire, with many people displaced by a decade of war.

As for my opinion on Libya’s flag: I am not a huge fan of the color scheme, but they have strong religious and historical meaning, so it’s hard to find fault in their use. All around, it’s a clean flag design. I hope one day it will represent a nation that healed from its violent past and came out victorious over tyranny.

Thanks for reading!

Sources

Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Libya. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/libya/

Fowler, G. L. (2022, February 17). Libya | History, People, Map, & Government | Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Libya

Hashim, A., & Bishara, M. (2011, February 24). What’s in a flag? Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/2/24/whats-in-a-flag

Libya. (n.d.). CRW Flags. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ly.html

Libya, 1977-2011. (n.d.). CRW Flags. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ly_1977.html

Libya profile – Timeline. (2021, March 15). BBC. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13755445

Znamierowski, A. (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Lorenz Books.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a country of small atolls (ring-shaped islands) situated in the Pacific Ocean. The capital, Majuro, lies over 2300 miles west-southwest of Hawaii and about 1300 miles northeast of the Solomon Islands. Its first inhabitants, the Micronesian peoples, are believed to have arrived at the atolls almost 2000 years ago. Spanish explorers would discover the islands in the early 1500s and later claim the islands as their own in 1594.

The Islands get their namesake from British Captain John Marshall, who, in 1788, explored the atolls. By the late 1800’s, several trading companies, mostly German-based, established operations on the islands and in 1884, the German Empire purchased the Marshall Islands from Spain. It remained under German control until the outbreak of the First World War; in 1914, Japan (who was on the opposing side of Germany during the War) seized the islands and officially obtained ownership of them (and several other island chains) as part of a post-war mandate issued by the League of Nations.

During World War II, the United States would see several battles on these islands against the Japanese Empire. Eventually, the U.S. gained control of all Japanese military bases on the atolls and after the war, it continued to manage the islands per the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). The United States would also conduct multiple nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, including the Castle Bravo test, which took place on the Bikini Atoll, which left many residents of neighboring atolls and some military personnel with radiation burns.

In 1979 the Marshall Islands officially separated from the TTPI and declared itself an independent and self-governing nation. Three years later, the Islands, and several other Pacific island nations, signed the Compact of Free Association with the United States, which allows the countries to operate independently of the United States, while also giving them support should they require national assistance.

The flag of the Marshall Islands – let’s take a look.

Like the flag of the United States, the Marshall Islands’ flag has 10:19 proportions. It was designed by the Islands’ first First Lady, Emlain Kabua, and adopted in 1979, the same year that the nation declared independence from the TTPI. 

The flag consists of a 24-pointed star on the upper hoist canton, representing the 24 municipalities of the country; four of the points are larger, representing the four major atolls, Majuro, Jaluit, Wotje, and Ebeye. The blue background of the flag symbolizes the Pacific Ocean. Two horizontal stripes, orange and white, stretch diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly, growing in width (to symbolize the growth of the nation). The orange stripe is for bravery and the white stripe for peace. The position of the star above the two stripes is intentional; it represents the island nation’s geographic location just above the equator – it’s a flag and a map!

The flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands upholds the basic flag design tenets of simplicity and apparent meaning in its symbolism. It’s incorporation of the Islands’ physical location makes it easily in my top 50 favorite national flags. The increasing width of the orange and white stripes also looks amazing when the flag is waving in the wind – you can see it in action here. 

Thanks for reading and may you have a fantastic 2022!

Sources

About 1 — Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. (n.d.). Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.rmiembassyus.org/country-profile

Central Intelligence Agency. (2021, 12 14). Marshall Islands. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/marshall-islands/#government

Republic of the Marshall Islands. (n.d.). CRW Flags. Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/mh.html

US Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Compacts of Free Association. US Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association

Znamierowski, A. (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Lorenz Books.

Official Flag of the Marshall Islands Act, Title 1 – General Provisions Chapter 3 – Marshall Islands Flag § 302 (1979). http://rmiparliament.org/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/1979/1979-0001/OfficialFlagoftheMarshallIslandsAct1979_1.pdf

Little Rock is a major City and capital of the state of Arkansas. Situated on the Arkansas River, Little Rock has been a major center of trade and culture in the state.

The City’s name comes from French explorer, Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe, who, in 1722, while exploring the Arkansas River in what was then the Louisiana territory, noted a rock formation which he called, “la petite roche” (“the little rock”).

Little Rock became an important location after the creation of the Arkansas Territory by the United States in 1819. The City (at that time, just a very small collection of homes) served as a stop for settlers and traders travelling along the Arkansas River. Its importance was further cemented when it was declared the capital of the newly-formed state of Arkansas in 1836.

Not long after the outbreak of the Civil War, in 1861, Arkansas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Two years later, Little Rock would be the site of the Battle of Bayou Fourche, which resulted in the Union takeover of the City.

Little Rock continued to see growth after the Civil War and into the 20th century. The City made front-page news in 1957 after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka declared public school segregation unconstitutional. In September of that year, the Governor of Arkansas attempted to stop nine African-American students from entering Little Rock Central High School by deploying the State’s National Guard. However, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the Army to intervene and enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling at the school.

The City is now the home of almost 200,000 residents and the site of the Clinton Presidential Center, established for Bill Clinton, former governor of Arkansas and an Arkansas native.

Flag time!

The flag of Little Rock is fairly new: adopted on October 18, 1988. The design, created by David Wilson, was selected in a contest hosted by the city. According to the city ordinance that adopted the flag, there are many meanings to the symbols/colors used in the flag:

As the official flag of the City of Little Rock, its symbolism is described as follows: A clean white background of the banner represents the optimism and open potential that the city has to offer. The royal blue horizontal broad stripe symbolizes the Arkansas River which borders Little Rock, and has served as an economical and historical emblem since the city’s beginning. The forest green stripe runs vertical to the royal blue stripe, creating a cross which symbolizes the location and statute of Little Rock—a city serving not only as the crossroads of Arkansas, but a crossroad of the mid-southern United States as well. The strong forest green color depicts the fields, parks and forests which contribute to the natural beauty of the city. The seal of the flag is a modernized adaptation of the current Little Rock seal. The razorback red silhouette of the great State of Arkansas shows her capitol, the City of Little Rock, represented by the centered star. The star rises directly above “The Little Rock”—the protruding cliff along the Arkansas River, which was discovered in 1722 by French explorer La Harpe, when the city was given the name. The Arkansas River behind the rock and the symmetrical oak leaves in the border of the seal are a stylized illustration of what the flag’s stripes represent—the natural beauty of the city. Finally, the gold color of the seal and bordering stripes symbolize the superior economic history, and the future economic potential that is available in the City of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Little Rock, AR. Ord. No. 15,566, §§ 1, 2 (1988).

As we have encountered in many of the previous Flag Redesign posts, the flag of the City of Little Rock greets its observer with a busy seal. Whenever I witness a flag like this, a part of me dies. In spite of this, I must admit that I like the meaning behind the flag design choices. It captures the history of the City in a small canvas. Unfortunately, the details are too small to be noticed by anyone observing the flag. If there was no wind and this flag was in front of City Hall, no one could possibly identify the symbols.

My proposed redesigns for the flag of Little Rock are much more conservative than my prior flag redesigns. I chose to keep much of the original design choices because I think Mr. Wilson was close to finding the ideal design. I also attempted to keep the same color palette as the current flag. And, as I typically do, I kept the flag ratio of the current flag, 3:5. So, without further ado, let me present my four redesigns.

The first design is the most conservative of them all. Using the current flag, I simply removed the yellow border lines from the green and blue stripes and replaced the seal with a simple star within a circle. It’s clean, easy to discern from a distance and captures some (but not all) symbols of the original design.

This second design is almost identical to the first, but I swapped the colors of the charge border and star. This gives the charge negative space which I think works well with the blue and green Nordic cross.

My third design proposal is, again, similar to my previous two flags. With this design, however, I chose to make a wavy blue stripe to better represent the Arkansas River. The charge’s border and star also share the same color of yellow, to better highlight the charge on the flag.

And, finally, my last proposal. I played around with the color palette, but kept most aspects of the design the same as in my other proposals.

Those are my four proposed flags for the City of Little Rock. You might find they are too similar to the City’s current flag, but I chose to do this on purpose. Mr. Wilson was close in finding a proper flag for the city; it just needed to be simplified and cleaned up a bit. You may disagree with my decision, and that is perfectly fine! It’s the reason I have a poll at the end of my redesigns where you can pick your favorite flag or tell me my attempts were a swing-and-a-miss.

Thanks for reading!

Estonia is a small European nation situated on the Baltic Sea. It is one of three countries that make up the Baltic states, the other two being Latvia and Lithuania. Just north of Estonia, 50 miles across the Gulf of Finland, is the nation of Finland. Estonia has a strong Nordic identity due to its proximity to the Scandinavian nations.

Estonia’s long history dates back to almost 9000 B.C. when the first inhabitants settled in the area. Some of the original settlements are still inhabited today. Throughout most of this time, up until the Medieval era, the people in the region remained a loose collection of small states. The 9th Century saw the rise of Estonian Vikings, who engaged in successful raids on their Nordic neighbors.

In the Middle Ages, Estonia was introduced to Christianity. The area would change hands for many years, with the Danes, Denmark, Sweden and Russia all claiming the region at some point between the 12th and 18th Century.

Estonian national identity began to take shape in the 1800s during the rule of the Russian Empire. Vironia, an Estonian student organization at the University of Tartu, designed a flag for their organization. This flag, a horizontal triband of equal blue, black and white bands, caught on in popularity as a symbol of Estonian independence and was used by Estonians during the revolutions in the early 20th century against the Russian Empire. Estonia gained independence from Russia in 1918 and shortly after, the flag was officially adopted as the flag of Estonia.

In 1940, as a result of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, the Soviets occupied (and eventually annexed) Estonia and quickly banned any national symbols that might threaten Soviet identity. During this half-century rule, the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic flew under a different flag. The version of the flag used throughout most of the Estonian SSR’s existence consisted of a yellow hammer, a sickle and a star on the upper hoist. On the bottom center of the flag were blue and white bands in a wave pattern. Both the charge and waves sat on a red field. The red field (and the color red, in general) is a common symbol for communist and socialist nations/movements. The flag design alludes to the Soviet Union’s own flag, which is typically referred to as the Red Banner.

By the late 1980’s, the Iron Curtain began to collapse internally. In Estonia and across the Baltic states, a series of protests and folk festivals known as the Singing Revolution demanded independence from the Soviet Union. With anti-Soviet sentiment growing, Estonia re-adopted the tricolor flag in 1990, replacing the Estonian SSR flag. The following year, on August 20, 1991, Estonia restored their independence.

The blue, black and white tricolor, with its unique 7:11 ratio, still remains an important symbol for the Estonian people. The meaning of each color isn’t officially defined; some see the colors representing the landscape of the countryside (blue sky, black forests and white snow or summer nights lit by a bright moon); others interpret the colors as symbols of ideas: blue for loyalty, black for Estonia’s difficult past and white for enlightenment.

A young nation, but rich in history, Estonia has endured many years of foreign rule while still developing and holding a national identity. Their flag is a beautiful representation of the nation’s persistence through difficult times. I wholeheartedly approve of their flag!

Thank you for reading.

Sources

Central Intelligence Agency. (2021). Estonia. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/estonia/flag

Estonian Flag Act. (2018, June 25). Riigi Teataja. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/525062018002/consolide

Estonian flag – sky, earth and snow. (2021, June 4). Visit Estonia. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.visitestonia.com/en/estonian-flag#

Estonian history and culture. (2021, August 2). Visit Estonia. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.visitestonia.com/en/why-estonia/estonian-history-and-culture

Estonia’s Blue-Black-White Tricolour Flag. (2011, June 18). Republic of Estonia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2021, from https://vm.ee/en/estonias-blue-black-white-tricolour-flag

Office of the President of Estonia. (n.d.). National Symbols: State Flag. Office of the President. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.president.ee/en/republic-of-estonia/symbols/index.html

Znamierowski, A. (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Lorenz Books.

Hey, Fanatics! I’m excited to share this post of “Flag Redesign” with you. Today, we are investigating the flag of Juneau, Alaska and taking a look at my attempt to design a proper flag worthy of this beautiful city. Without further ado, let’s jump in!

Juneau is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Population-wise, the city is small, with about 30,000 residents; however, the municipality consists of over 2,700 square miles of land. The city cannot be reached by car, as there are no road networks connecting the city to the rest of Alaska.

The area of Juneau was long inhabited by members of the Auke and Taku tribes, who used the land for fishing and hunting. It’s estimated that some of the tribes’ villages are over 750 years old. The tribes continued living in this area without any colonial interference until the late 19th century. About 13 years after the Alaskan territory was purchased by the United States from the Russian Empire, two American settlers, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, established a gold mining village on what is now the City of Juneau. The village grew larger as more and more prospectors from America settled nearby, hoping to cash in on the gold deposits in the area.

This increase in population continued into the 20th century and Juneau replaced Sitka as the Alaskan territory’s capital in 1906. Juneau would hold onto this title when Alaska was admitted into the Union in 1959.

As a capital city, one would expect there to be a flag for Juneau, but my research found no official flag. According to the North American Vexillological Association’s city flag survey, the flag of Juneau consists of a variation of the city logo on a light blue field. However, I reached out to some state and city agencies and both were not aware of any official city flag. Additionally, I did not locate any flag flying outside of city hall from any online image or street view. One official I spoke with stated that in events where a city flag was needed or used, the flag was typically just the city logo. This supports NAVA’s flag survey findings and, because of this, I chose to highlight NAVA’s design as Juneau’s “current” flag.

As with most flags using a logo on a solid background, Juneau’s unofficial flag fails to adequately represent the city and its residents. We can do better. 

What do I envision for a flag for the City of Juneau? Well, I included a lot fewer designs in this edition of “Flag Redesign” because I felt there were too many in prior posts. I also found that most of my designs were simply different versions of the same idea. And with so many designs, I come off as indecisive. In this post, I aimed to shorten my list of final designs as a self “vote of confidence” in my work. So here are my four designs that would make for great flags for the capital of the 49th state.

The first design (and all four of my designs) has a 2:3 dimension, my favorite ratio for flags. This design has a blue canton with a five-pointed star in gold. The canton has a gold border on the bottom and fly sides. This border was inspired by the supposed pre-1970 city flag of Juneau, which is detailed by NAVA in their flag survey. At the bottom of the flag are two horizontal light-blue stripes, representing the waterways in and around Juneau. The star represents both the North Star (as depicted in Alaska’s flag) and Juneau’s status as Alaska’s capital. The gold and dark blue used in the flag are also borrowed from Alaska’s flag. 

My second design, “Gray Peak”, keeps Polaris in the canton, but removes the border. Instead, on a dark blue background, is a gray, upside-down “V”, which represents the mountains in Juneau.

I admit this third design is similar to my second one, but I wanted to have a design that represented both the mountains and rivers in Juneau. In this design, the bottom part of the mountain is a light blue, to represent the waterways of Juneau. Additionally, the mountain is white instead of gray for a better contrast between the two shades of blue.

The last design follows a similar pattern as the previous flag. With this one, however, I  extended the mountain out, creating a tricolor design of dark blue, white and light blue. The gold star, like my other flag designs, is in the canton.

Some might feel that my four designs are a bit too similar and that’s a valid point. However, I would argue that my designs hold common symbolism which represents Juneau’s geography and standing as the capital of the great state of Alaska. And as I have expressed in the past, I think the best symbols for flags are typically the ones that are clear and discernable from afar. My belief is that the above four designs follow this rule while remaining esthetically pleasing. Most importantly, I believe any of the above designs would make a fantastic flag for the City of Juneau.

You are free to disagree, though! I encourage you to vote below and let me know if you like any of my flag designs. I can’t thank you enough for stopping by and look forward to seeing the results of the poll.

Thanks for reading.

Sources

Douglas Indian Association Tribal Government. (n.d.). The A`akw Kwáan & T`aaku Kwáan Tribal History. Douglas Indian Association. Retrieved 2021, from https://diataku.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/DIA-Tribal-History-Brochure-Booklet-edited-7-21-17.pdf

Juneau. (2020, December 10). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Juneau

Purcell, J. M., Croft, J. A., & Monahan, R. (2003). American City Flags: 150 Flags from Akron to Yonkers (E. B. Kaye, Ed.). North American Vexillological Association. https://nava.org/digital-library/raven/Raven_v09-10_2002-2003_p162-200_J-L.pdf

United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). City and Town Population Totals: 2010-2019. Census. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html

For our readers outside of the States, Fourth of July is American Independence Day, where, in 1776, the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain, marking the start of the American Revolutionary War. And what better way to celebrate this day than to talk about the flag of the United States!

Now, there is so much literature out there discusses the American Flag, both the current design and past designs. Therefore, instead of writing a full review of the flag (which I definitely will do in a future post), I decided to provide some brief facts about the American flag. They only skim the surface of the flag’s rich history, but are interesting nonetheless.

• Each five-pointed white star in the upper hoist blue canton represents a state in the Union.

• The 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes represent the original 13 colonies which declared independence from England on July 4, 1776.

• The Continental Congress resolution on June 14, 1777, details the official flag of the new United States, stating the 13 red and white stripes as well as the 13 white stars on a blue background; the resolution, however, does not specify the arrangement of the stars, nor does it state the stars should be five-pointed. Thus, the arrangement of the 13 stars in a circle (the Betsy Ross flag) or in parallel rows (the Francis Hopkinson’s design) both adhered to the requirements. The official arrangement of the stars would not be established until 1912.

• The American flag used between 1794 and 1818 inspired Frances Scott Key to write a poem during the War of 1812 when he saw the flag still flying over Fort McHenry after a long night of British naval bombardment. It is the only American flag design not to have 13 stripes. This flag contained 15 stars and 15 stripes. The poem written by Key would become the words to the United States’ national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner” (a nickname also given to this unique flag).

• There is an official U.S. flag code detailing how to properly handle and display the flag in a variety of scenarios, but the code is not meant to be enforceable, but act as a set of guidelines. The flag code goes into such specifics as where the blue canton should rest when suspending the flag vertically over a street.

• When a new state is admitted into the Union, a new star is added to the flag on the succeeding Fourth of July following the state’s admittance.

• The current fifty-star American flag has a unique 10:19 ratio. It is also the longest-serving flag of the United States, having been used since July 1960, when Hawaii was the 50th state admitted into the Union.

• For one year, between July 1959 and July 1960, the American flag had 49 stars. Hawaii would be admitted to the Union in August of 1959, and, therefore, its star would not be officially added to the flag until July 4, 1960.

• The Grand Union flag is considered the first official flag of the United States. It consisted of 13 alternating red and white stripes, but instead of white stars on a blue field, the canton contained the Union Jack. This was used by America until Continental Congress officially defined the flag as having 13 white stars on a blue field in 1777.

Hope you enjoyed this quick post and learned something new. Thank you for reading. 

Happy Independence Day, America!

Sources

4 U.S.C. § 1 et seq. Office of the Law Revision Counsel. https://uscode.house.gov

The History of the Stars and Stripes. (2010, February 16). National Parks Service. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/flag/h_doc_100-247/sec1.htm

Office of Governor David Y. Ige. (n.d.). 50 Fun Facts about the 50th State. Governor of the State of Hawai’i. Retrieved 2021, from https://governor.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/50-Fun-Facts-about-the-50th-State.pdf

“The Spangled Banner”—From Song, to Anthem, to Icon. (2020, September 11). National Parks Service. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/fomc/learn/historyculture/the-national-anthem.htm

United States Department of State Identity and Marking Standards. (2012, June). Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/state_department_u.s._flag_style_guide.pdf

Znamierowski, A. (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Lorenz Books.

Grenada is an island nation about 100 miles north of Venezuela and 160 miles southwest of Barbados (a nation I discussed in another post). The country is part of a string of islands known as the Lesser Antilles. 

Before it’s discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1498, the island was inhabited by the Caribs, who (it is believed) drove out the Arawak people. The Carib people were quite hostile to any colonizers and even chased out the English in their attempt to settle the island in 1609. It wasn’t until the mid 17th century that the French were able to establish a stable colony in Grenada.

As we saw in Barbados, plantations were the primary source of income for the French colony and the industry was driven by slave labor. After a few feuds in Europe, the French eventually gave control of Grenada to the English in the late 17th century. The English further expanded the plantation industry, bringing even more slaves from Africa to increase crop output (which was primarily sugar, then cacao beans). By the 1900’s, nutmeg became the primary crop export for Grenada.

Grenada was administered as part of the British Windward Islands until it joined the West Indies Federation in 1958. Below is the Federation’s flag, which consists of four white wavy lines, two on the upper half of the flag and two in the bottom half, mirrored, on a blue background; at the center of the flag is an orange circle (the sun), sitting above the white waves. This is my rendering of the flag based on images I found in my research. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate specifics about the flag’s dimensions, but the online consensus seems to be that the flag has a 1:2 ratio. The Federation was short-lived, however, and ended in 1962. I wanted to include the brief history of this Federation because the flag is awesome!

In 1974, Grenada achieved full independence from Great Britain and with that came a new national flag. Prior to their independence, Grenada flew under a variant of the Blue Ensign of the British Empire. An ensign is a naval flag, typically flown on ships to designate their nationality.

The Blue Ensign is a British flag, which consists of the Union Jack in the upper hoist on a blue background. For British colonies or territories, the Blue Ensign was used to denote their loyalty to the British Empire. Each colony or territory would add their colonial seal on the fly to differentiate their ensign from others. For Grenada, their seal consisted of a ship on the sea. But with independence, Grenada decided to change their flag and on February 7, 1974, when Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom, the new flag of Grenada (designed by Mr. Anthony C. George, a native of Grenada) was officially adopted.

The flag is bordered in red. On the top and bottom edges of the flag, inside the border, are three yellow five-pointed stars (a total of six stars within the border). At the center of the flag within the border is a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow (top and bottom) and green (hoist and fly) triangles. At the center of this rectangle is another five-pointed yellow star inside a red circle. Including the one in the center, there are seven total stars, representing the seven parishes of the country. Inside the green portion of the rectangle on the fly is another emblem in yellow and red. My first thought was that it was some sort of flame, but it is actually a nutmeg pod, which, if you recall, is one of Grenada’s main exports. The flag’s dimensions interestingly differ depending on where it’s flown; on land, it’s 3:5, but at sea, it’s 1:2. The flag I show above is the version used on land.

The colors of the flag, red, yellow and green, have specific meanings. Red symbolizes the people of Grenada’s courage, unity and desire for freedom; green represents the nation’s agriculture and vegetation; yellow (or gold, according to the country’s government website) stands for the sun and the kindness of the citizens. But it cannot be a coincidence that the flag of Grenada uses the same colors as the Pan-African flag family. For those who are not familiar with Pan-Africanism, it is a movement that looks to unite people around the world with a shared African heritage. There are two main flags which are the basis for the Pan-African flag family: the Pan-African flag, created in 1917 by Marcus Garvey, and the flag of Ethiopia, the oldest independent nation in Africa.

Many African national flags typically derive their colors from one of these two flags. For Grenada, many of its citizens are descendants of slaves brought by the French and English colonies, so it isn’t surprising that the country’s flag would be influenced by Pan-Africanism and the flag of Ethiopia.

I absolutely love the flag colors because they complement each other so well. The yellow really pops when paired with the red and green. I don’t typically care for borders on a flag, as it makes it look almost like two flags, one superimposed on another. However, the flag of Grenada’s use of simple, yet meaningful, symbolism makes for a unique and pleasing design. The nutmeg isn’t too detailed and doesn’t clash with the rest of the flag; it’s a subtle nod to the important crop and a non-offensive way of incorporating it on the flag. All-in-all, I think the flag of Grenada is a warm, welcoming flag which proudly represents its people and history.

Thank you for reading!

Sources

Britter, E. V.B. (2020, Sep. 11). Grenada. encyclopedia britannica. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Grenada

Central Intelligence Agency. (2021). Grenada. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/grenada/flag

Evans, I. O. (1959). The Observer’s Book of Flags. Warne. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Observer_s_Book_of_Flags/3KIKAQAAIAAJ?hl=en

Government of Grenada. (n.d.). National Symbols of Grenada. National Portal of the Government of Grenada. Retrieved 2021, from http://www.gov.gd/national-symbols-grenada

Prothero, D. (2000). West Indies. Flags of the World. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/FLAGS/gb-carib.html

University of the West Indies. (n.d.). The West Indies Federation. West Indies Federal Archives Centre. Retrieved 2021, from http://wifac.org/attachments/FedArchives.pdfZnamierowski, A. (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Lorenz Books.

History time: this flag was designed by a resident of the city, Robert Ryan. The Montgomery Chamber of Commerce set up a contest in 1951 to design a flag for the city. The flag committee settled on Mr. Ryan’s design and in 1952, the flag was officially adopted.

The meaning behind the flag is very apparent. The gray and red represent the Confederate States of America, a failed rebellion and main belligerent in the American Civil War. The center stripe also closely resembles the Confederate battle flag. The blue is meant to represent America’s current unity. The flag also contains the words, “city of” and “Montgomery” in all caps. Montgomery was an important city during the Civil War as well as during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It was briefly the capital of the Confederacy as well as the site of the Montgomery bus boycotts in 1956 and the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, which fought to bring an end to the Jim Crow laws of the South.

The above image is my attempt at drawing the flag based on the details from John Purcell’s book, American City Flags: 150 Flags from Akron to Yonkers. Unfortunately, this was the only source I could find regarding Montgomery’s flag. I can confirm that this is, in fact, the city’s flag; it can be seen flying at City Hall. Additionally, if you check the city’s website, a pin of the flag is worn by some of the city’s council members. I have seen some articles mention that the flag contains 11 stars along the blue stripe, but in the source above as well as in images of the flag being flown, the flag only appears to have 7 stars.

This is an opinion website, so I’ll give you my opinion of the flag: I am not a fan. From a purely artistic standpoint, the flag is extremely busy. The wreath’s tan color gets lost in the red and gray. It’s difficult to focus on anything when viewing the flag from a distance. And the worst part of this flag: text. Why do cities feel the need to put the name of the city on their flag? Is it in case you forget where you are? When a flag is waving in the wind, who is taking the time to read the text on it? 

But let’s not avoid the obvious: this flag holds a lot of Confederate symbolism. Let’s give some context to this design. In the 1950’s, there was a revival in Confederate identity in the South as well as a push to further segregationist policies. Take, for example, the state of Georgia; in 1956, leaders of the Democrat Party of Georgia pushed an initiative to change their state flag to include the Confederate battle flag. It isn’t surprising that Montgomery chose this design for their city’s flag around the same time. 

The meaning of the Confederate battle flag is a hot topic of discussion. It’s controversial history has led to many debates about its use on official flags and its display on public and private property. Some see it as a symbol of states’ rights and southern pride. For others, it is a reminder of slavery in America and racism towards African-Americans. 

I am not from the South. I have no attachment to the Confederacy or its symbols. At any rate, I find the use of the flag distasteful. You can argue that the flag is about states’ rights or southern pride, but you can never separate the flag from a failed rebellion attempting to uphold its ability to own human beings. With that said, one of the greatest dangers we face today is erasing history. I don’t believe such symbols should be completely removed from all aspects of society. Instead, they should be used as a reminder of our past. Knowledge is power, and those with knowledge of the past can avoid repeating it.

It’s for this reason that I chose to incorporate some of the shapes and colors of Montgomery’s current flag in my redesigns. Montgomery was the center of the Confederacy at one time. And while this fact shouldn’t be celebrated, it should be remembered as one of the two major points in the city’s history (the other being Montgomery’s importance during the Civil Rights Movement). You cannot change your past, but you can determine your future. My hope is to acknowledge these two pivotal moments in Montgomery’s history in my flag designs and capture the promise of a better future for all individuals.

Let’s take a look at my redesigns.

I kept the flag’s current ratio of 5:8 in my designs. This project required a lot of rework, as I wasn’t happy with my initial drafts. My first attempts seemed to highlight too much of the city’s current flag, and I found them resembling the Confederate battle flag, something I wanted to avoid. It wasn’t an easy task balancing the need for a more inclusive design with the want to acknowledge the city’s difficult past. However, I finally settled on 10 designs that would make great replacements to Montgomery’s current flag. The focus of my designs (with one exception) is the use of a star. I alternated between the five and six-pointed stars. The five-pointed star is the typical star used on many American flags. The hexagram can be found on Montgomery’s city seal. With Montgomery being Alabama’s capital, I thought it important to include a star in the design. Additionally, to me, the single star represents the Union and the idea that we will not let past divisions further divide us as a people.

Starting with the first two designs: these closely resemble Montgomery’s current flag. I was inspired by the pins of the flag I saw on some of the city council members. The pin made the gray on the hoist of the flag appear almost teal. These designs simplify the current flag, removing the text and wreath. The first redesign uses a five-pointed star. The second uses the six-pointed star and a simplified wreath. Both designs place the charge on the upper canton closest to the hoist.

My next design is a play on the current flag of Alabama (a crimson saltire on a white background). In this design, the saltire is split in half, representing a nation divided during the Civil War, and a hexagon sits in the center, representing America as one, unified nation, where, as the late Dr. King said, individuals are not judged by their race.

The next four designs feature a chevron style. The addition of the orange, gold, and teal blue was inspired by the color palette utilized on Montgomery’s city website. The chevrons are used to represent Montgomery’s look forward from its past towards a better future. When utilizing the five-pointed star in some of these designs, I decided to face the top of the star with the chevron, so that when the flag flew vertically, the star would be facing upwards.

The final three designs feature a vertical triband. The first two have an uneven triband ratio of 2:4:2 and feature the five-pointed star and six-pointed star with a wreath, respectively. The third triband has equal vertical stripes and features a teal five-pointed star. 

A quick note. The city has an unofficial logo that they use on their website and social media pages; it contains a stylized letter “M” with 10 stars in an arch above the “M”. I thought this logo (specifically, the “M” and star arch) would look great in some of my flag designs in place of the five or six-pointed stars. However, to avoid any copyright infringement, I chose not to include the logo in my redesigns.

And with that, my second post of the redesign series is complete! Please vote below on your favorite (or if you didn’t like any design). If you have any questions, comments or criticisms about my designs, please feel free to contact me and let me know; I’d love the feedback!

Thanks for reading.

Have you ever walked by a state or city municipal building and noticed the flag flying next to the building? I would guess that you don’t, and that’s a problem! One should be proud of the flag that represents their community. My aim is to give these flags an uplift and redesign that residents can look at and say, “that’s a great flag, and that’s ours!”

And what better way to do so then by picking on the easiest targets, American state flags! With a few exceptions, most state flags are forgettable. The popular phrase in vexillology is “seal on a bedsheet”, which means a flag whose design consists of a state seal with a solid color background. I, myself, think that phrase is a bit too harsh: state flags with the seal are historical and have been around for many years. However, I do agree with the phrase’s underlying message: these state flags are forgettable and are indiscernible from a distance. And that is my reasoning for selecting a U.S. state for the first post of “The Flag Revision”.

Today’s redesign will be the flag of the state of New York. Let’s take a quick look at the current flag:

A lot is going on here. The center of the flag is the seal of the state of New York. You can read more about the symbolism of the seal here. The seal (and flag) actually changed slightly in 2020, with the addition of the phrase “E Pluribus Unum”, Latin for “out of many, one”. While the seal is neat on its own, needless to say, it’s a bit too much for a flag.

So let’s dive into some of my suggestions for a better flag for New York. I decided to keep the current flag’s 1:2 proportion in each of my creations. The most difficult part of this endeavor was determining the symbolism of the state. My attempt was to avoid deciding on something that represented the city of New York rather than the state as a whole. I hope my below designs live up to that goal.

We will start off with my first design: “Sunrise.”

No, this isn’t the Rising Sun flag of Japan; it’s a representation of the rising sun from the seal of New York. I purposely drew the sun to resemble the Statue of Liberty’s crown. 

This second design works off of the sunrise, but I placed it in the shield of the seal of New York. The background of the flag are the colors of New York, blue and gold, on the hoist and fly, respectively.

This third version of the sunrise has the sun inside the seal, but this design utilizes a vertical triband of (from hoist to fly) blue, white and gold. 

And the fourth version of my sunrise design: the same vertical triband as before, but gold-blue-gold. The seal’s border is also white instead of blue.

My second set of flags follow one iconic symbol: the torch of the Statue of Liberty. You are probably thinking, “Didn’t you say you were trying to avoid symbols that represent NYC over New York State?” I don’t deny the Statue of Liberty’s importance as a symbol of the city, but I argue that the Statue of Liberty goes beyond the city: it represents the welcoming of hard-working individuals dreaming of freedom, opportunity and a new life in this great nation: a promise of a better future. It’s something that all residents of The Empire State can proudly boast as their symbol of hope and liberty. 

With that, let’s move on to the “Liberty Torch”. The first two are quite similar in background to what we saw with the sunrise, only the seal is replaced with my design of the Statue of Liberty torch.

This third design harkens back to the current flag of New York: the torch sits on a blue background. There is definitely a resemblance to the flag of the state of Indiana: a compliment or criticism, depending on your opinion of this flag.

The next two go for a more typical American style of flag. I am still using the torch as the main piece, but, in these designs, the torch sits on the hoist side of the flag on top of a blue background (with a length of a third of the flag). The remaining two-thirds of the flag is given the iconic horizontal stripes. In this design, I used 11 stripes, representing New York as the 11th state of the union. The left flag goes with gold and white stripes. The right side uses red and white stripes, but with a single stripe of gold, representing New York.

The last version of this striped flag is the same as the one above, but with 13 stripes, representing the original 13 colonies, and one stripe in gold, representing New York.

And that is that! I apologize for the unimaginative names of my flags. I would absolutely love to hear your feedback on my flag designs. You can take the poll below and vote on which flag you liked the most (or if you didn’t like any of them at all; I won’t be offended!).

Thanks for reading!

Today’s review is actually a request from a reader; we are heading back to the continent of Africa to examine and review the flag of the Republic of Burundi.

Burundi is a nation located in central Africa. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west and Tanzania to its east and south. Burundi’s western border partially sits on Lake Tanganyika, one of the largest lakes in the world.

Burundi’s history as a nation predates it’s time as a colony. The country was originally a kingdom, formed sometime in the late 17th century. It was in the 1800’s that Germany colonized the country and established Ruanda-Urundi. After Germany’s loss in World War One, the colony was handed over to Belgium. It wasn’t until 1962 that Burundi finally gained independence from its colonizers and became a sovereign nation.

Unfortunately, throughout its time as an independent country, Burundi has seen a great deal of bloodshed. This has mainly been due to conflicts between the two main ethnic groups that live in Burundi, the Hutu and Tutsi (a third, much smaller group, the Twa, which also live in the nation; we will return to them later). There is an ongoing debate in academia about the definition of the two groups, with some arguing that the ethnic differences are actually nominal, but were exacerbated by colonial rule for political gain.

The well-known Rwandan civil war and genocide of perceived Tutsi people in the 1990’s left hundreds of thousands of Rwandans dead and millions more displaced. However, the conflict between these two groups was not limited to Rwanda; like Rwanda, the tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi in Burundi has been historically high. In its years as an independent nation, Burundi has seen multiple coups (one attempted coup as recently as 2015), a presidential assassination and violent clashes between its Hutu and Tutsi populations. Currently, these tensions have subsided, but the country is still struggling with unrest and widespread poverty.

Where there is turmoil, however, hope is never far away, and I believe the message of hope is wonderfully expressed in the flag of Burundi.

The flag starts with a white cross, also known as a saltire or St. Andrew’s Cross (think of the flag of Scotland). On the outsides of the saltire, the flag breaks into four sections; the top and bottom sections are red, representing the blood from Burundi’s fight for independence, and the hoist and fly sections are green, representing hope for the nation. The center of the flag features a white circle (white, representing peace). Inside the circle are three red, six-sided stars, outlined in green, in the formation of an equilateral triangle. The stars are said to represent Burundi’s motto, “Union, Work, Progress”. However, it is also believed each star is for one of the main three ethnic groups in Burundi, the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa.

I had some difficulty finding an official source on the dimensions of the flag. Christopher Southworth on Flags of the World (fantastic site; I highly recommend you check it out for all things vexillology) provided some helpful details on this subject. He was able to calculate the dimensions of the flag based on historical decrees from the government of Burundi. The flag comes out to about 3:5. This, according to Southworth, is a change from the country’s flag between 1966 and 1982, which was the same design, but with a proportion of 2:3. Between 1962 (Burundi’s colonial independence) and 1966, the flag of Burundi was slightly different, consisting of the same saltire and red and green edge as the current flag, but instead of three stars, the center contained an image of a drum.

A fantastic flag, in my humble opinion. Burundi follows the most important rule of flag design: simplicity. I’m a broken record at this point, but a clean design is a well-recognized design. One also doesn’t often see the saltire in state or civil flags. In fact, no other African nation utilizes the saltire. The color green used in the flag is almost a dark neon, which is not necessarily my favorite, but with only three colors in use on the entire flag, the green isn’t overbearing and actually works quite nicely with the red and white. My biggest criticism would have to be the green borders around the stars; from a distance, the border can get lost, making the red of the star seem darker than the red on the top and bottom of the flag. However, I think the message of the stars is more important. The stars represent unity for the nation: the idea that people of different groups can coexist peacefully. Violence has plagued Burundi for many years, but the flag conveys an optimistic message of a peaceful future: a future expressed well by their motto: “Union, Work, Progress”.

Thank you for reading!

Sources

BBC. (2019, April 4). Rwanda genocide: 100 days of slaughter. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506

Central Intelligence Agency. (2021). Burundi. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burundi/flag

Daley, P. (2006). Ethnicity and political violence in Africa: The challenge to the Burundi state. Political Geography, 25(6), 657-679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2006.05.007

Kaneza, E. W. (2017, July 20). Burundi’s president goes abroad for 1st time since coup plot. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/056a65f0480a47018866debb27ce814b

Lake Tanganyika. (n.d.). Zambia Tourism. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.zambiatourism.com/destinations/lakes/lake-tanganyika/

National Symbols. (n.d.). The Presidency Of The Republic of Burundi. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.presidence.gov.bi/le-burundi/symboles-nationaux/

Southworth, C. (2003). Burundi – Flag Construction Sheet. Flags of the World. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.fotw.info/flags/bi_const.html

Today’s post covers a younger flag in the history of the world (and one of my personal favorite national flags), the flag of South Africa.

Typically, there is always an underlying meaning to a flag’s design and color scheme. That is only partially true for South Africa, however. I will get back to that later. First, let us briefly look at the history of the African nation.

Similar to the history of Barbados, which I wrote about in my last post, South Africa has a long history of colonialism. And just like Barbados, South Africa was discovered by Portuguese explorers who did not establish any settlement in the area.The English were the next to come along, but they would also not stay long in the area. That distinction goes to the Dutch, who established a permanent settlement near the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. The Dutch East Indian Company created the settlement as a stop for traders sailing to Asia. The colony, however, would attract many Dutch settlers looking to start a new life in Africa. 

The Dutch East Indian Company would retain control of the area for around 150 years. After a series of wars with Great Britain at the turn of the 19th century, the Dutch eventually ceded control of the colony to the British. With Britain under control, many of the Dutch residents resettled north in the African continent in what is referred to as the “Great Trek”. These colonists, commonly known as the Boers, established their own nations in the northern part of modern South Africa. The two largest were the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (also known as “Transvaal”). These republics did not last long, however, and after another series of wars between the Boers and the British, the once-independent nations became colonies of the British Empire.

In 1910, Great Britain consolidated their colonies in the area, creating the Union of South Africa. As a colony, South Africa flew a flag similar to many colonies in the British Empire: a blue background, a seal representing the colony and the Union Jack in the canton. But in 1928, South Africa adopted their own flag, which was used for the remainder of South Africa’s time as a colony and continued to represent it when South Africa achieved independence from Great Britain in 1961. The design of this flag is composed of three horizontal stripes of, starting from the top, orange, white and blue, representing South Africa’s history as a Dutch colony. The center stripe contains three small flags, from left to right, the Union Jack, the former Orange Free State and South African Republic. The positioning of the three flags in the center was designed as a compromise between the Afrikaners and English of South Africa. The Union Jack is closest to the hoist of the main flag, but is flipped, meaning it spreads (from hoist to fly) in the opposite direction as the main flag. The center flag of the former Orange Free State sits higher than its counterparts. It compromises with being in the center by hanging vertically and being reversed, in order to keep its canton closest to the main flag’s hoist. The flag of the former South African Republic is farthest from the main flag’s hoist, but is spread in the same direction as the main flag. This horrendous flag-ception has a very complicated history. The country was plagued by apartheid, a legal system of segregation that discriminated against South African blacks. To many, the flag represented those unjust institutions.

With the end of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela, a new flag was designed to represent the nation. Discussions about a new flag started before Mandela’s election in 1994. In August of 1993, the government established a commission to determine the flag of South Africa. At the start of the process, the commission was unable to settle on a new flag, but after much debate, the commission approved the design created by Frederick Brownell, the State Herald and Chairman of the South African Vexillological Society at the time. His design would see its first use on April 27, 1994. While it was considered an interim flag at the time, as it was adopted under the country’s interim constitution, it would go on to be officially approved by the South African Constitutional Assembly in 1996.

So what is the underlying meaning behind Mr. Brownell’s flag? Let’s dive into the details. 

The most noticeable pattern is the green “y” rotated 90 degrees. This is known as a pall. The pall is outlined by two white stripes. On the hoist side between the pall’s split (or the top of the “y”) is a black triangle, outlined in gold. On the fly, above and below the green stripe (the bottom of the “y”) is a red and blue stripe, respectively. Mr. Brownell’s use of the pall represents what he called the “convergence and unification” of South African society, marked by the end of apartheid. The flag makes clever use of heraldic symbols to convey an optimistic message for the new South Africa.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, the flag of South Africa does not follow a typical flag rule of having meaning in every design choice, specifically, the meaning of the colors. Officially, the colors do not represent anything in particular; the idea is each color holds different meanings to different people. Even with this in mind, it is too much of a coincidence that the colors of the flag of the Netherlands and the UK as well as the official colors of the African National Congress are used on the flag. The beauty in the design, however, is how Mr. Brownell incorporated the colors; each distinct color group blends, from hoist to fly, to resemble something new and distinct.

While paying homage to its nation’s history, the flag of South Africa tells of a promise for a brighter future, where South Africans are not divided by the color of their skin, but united under one national identity. I believe Mr. Brownell captured that message beautifully with his creation. The flag of South Africa deserves recognition as a gold standard for flag design.

Thank you for reading!

Sources

Brownell, F. G. (2015). Convergence and Unification : the national flag of South Africa (1994) in historical perspective. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pretoria)

Central Intelligence Agency. (2021). South Africa. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-africa/flag

National Flag. (n.d.). South African Government. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.gov.za/about-sa/national-flag-0#

RSA Flag Facts. (n.d.). Southern African Vexillological Association. Retrieved 2021, from http://www.savaflags.org.za/rsa-flag-facts-sava-flags.php

This review will be focusing on the flag of Barbados. Let’s get started!

Barbados is an island nation situated in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. The country has a long colonial history, dating back to the 16th century, when the first Portuguese explorers discovered the island. The English laid claim to the island in 1625, establishing the island’s first European colony. Before the colonists arrived, Barbados was inhabited by the native Arawaks and Caribs. By the time the European colonists arrived, however, very few natives still resided on the island. Most interactions between the English and the native population came from conflicts with the indegenous people who lived on the neighboring islands of St. Vincent and St. Lucia.

The introduction of sugar cane in Barbados dramatically altered the English farming colony. Originally, the agriculture was mostly tobacco and cotton, both of which did not fare well on the island. Sugar cane, however, proved to be successful, and many of the farms began growing the crop. With the high demand for cheap labor (sugar cane required a large number of workers to grow), the colonists shifted from using European indentured servants to slaves from Africa. Sugar would continue to be the most important crop for the colony well into the 20th century. 

It wasn’t until 1966 that Barbados officially declared its independence from the United Kingdom. With a new nation came the need for a new flag to represent it. A contest was held to design the new country’s flag. Of the over 1000 submissions in the contest, the commission selected the design by Grantley Prescod and on November 30, 1966, the design was officially adopted as the flag of Barbados.

On to the flag’s design!

The flag of Barbados is made up of three vertical bands of equal length. The hoist and fly bands are a dark blue, representing the seas of the Caribbean, and the center band is a gold/yellow, for the golden sands of the Barbadian beaches. In the center of the flag is a trident head in black. The trident’s shaft is purposely missing to represent the nation’s break from its colonial ties. The flag’s ratio is two to three, a personal favorite of mine.

Already three posts into my blog and I am repeating myself, but the message is important: simple is almost always better. Mr. Prescod clearly understood this when he designed his country’s flag. Three vertical bands is a common design seen on many national flags. But where Barbados really shines is in the usage of an emblem. Like Canada, it features a plain, but unique symbol as the focus. It isn’t some national seal or messy image slapped in last-minute. It doesn’t require a magnifying glass to discern a shape or figure. Its meaning is clear without using more words than necessary. The flag of Barbados is proof that quality is better than quantity.

Thanks for reading!

Sources

Barbados Government. (n.d.). Archeological History. Barbados Government. Retrieved 2 27, 2021, from https://www.gov.bb/Visit-Barbados/history

Barbados Government. (n.d.). Flag Etiquette. Barbados Government. Retrieved 2 27, 2021, from https://www.gov.bb/Visit-Barbados/flag-etiquette#

Central Intelligence Agency. (2021). Barbados. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nepal/flag

Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade of Barbados. (2011). The Flag of Barbados. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Retrieved 2 27, 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20111113032824/http://foreign.gov.bb/pageselect.cfm?page=27

Poyer, J. (1808). The history of Barbados. J Mawman. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_history_of_Barbados/4xYUAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

Prescod, Grantley. (n.d.). The Caribbean Memory Project. Retrieved 2 27, 2021, from https://www.caribbeanmemoryproject.com/prescod-grantley.html

For today’s post, I’ll be moving on to a national flag (and one that is extremely unique in the international sphere): the flag of Nepal.

You might have come across this flag at one time, whether it was looking over a laminated poster of flags of the world or visiting New York City and passing by the UN. What makes the flag of Nepal unique is that it isn’t a square or rectangle. In fact, it’s the only national flag in the world that fits this definition. The flag consists of two pennants, one on top of the other, with a slight overlap. It is said that the pennants represent the Himalaya Mountains, which would make sense, since the mountain range makes up most of Nepal’s geography. A blue border on the flag wraps around the crimson pennants. The color of crimson is a symbol of bravery and represents a rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal. Within each pennant is a charge in white. The top pennant contains a crescent moon while the bottom contains a sun with twelve rays. It is believed that the charges represent the two major religions of Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism.

A lot of guessing surrounds the flag’s symbolism. That’s because there isn’t much information on its origin. Variations of the flag have been used throughout the country’s history. It’s current design was adopted into law by the government of Nepal in 1962.

Now for my opinion, which is why you are reading this in the first place, right?

The flag of Nepal is a great example of how designs don’t need to follow the norm to be good. Its uncommon shape and minimalist design perfectly captures Nepal’s cultural and geographical identity. However, it’s non-quadrilateral shape (meaning it is a figure that does not have four sides), does have its downsides. The most apparent to me is when hoisted on a flagpole. With the flag’s length being shorter than its width (the length of a flag is the flag’s horizontal ends, perpendicular to the flagpole), it can appear quite small when it is flying next to flags of other nations (or be hidden behind them, altogether). 

For me, a flag should serve as a clear, visual representation of a place and/or people. The flag of Nepal’s unusual design might create situations where it gets lost in a crowd of flags, but it does a great job of representing its country and people and doesn’t overwhelm the viewer with distracting seals. In other words, it’s unique, but not ostentatious: qualities of which all flags should strive.

Thanks for reading. If you have any flag suggestions for the next post, leave a comment below!

Sources

Central Intelligence Agency. (2021). Nepal. The World Factbook 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nepal/flag

Constitution of Nepal. Part-1(8). (2015).

With that out of the way, let us begin with the first flag of my newly-created blog: New Mexico.

Admitted into the Union in 1912 as the nation’s 47th state, New Mexico was originally a territory of Mexico; before that, a part of the Spanish colonies. The area was inhabited by many Puebloan tribes, including the Zia, whom we will get back to in a moment. Shortly after the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, New Mexico became a territory under the control of the United States. It would be officially recognized as a state almost 62 years later.

In 1923, the Daughters of the American Revolution held a flag design contest for the young New Mexico. At the time, New Mexico was represented by a different flag. The contest would be won by Dr. Harry Mera, an archeologist (he was actually a local doctor and practiced archeology as a hobby), for his design of the now flag of New Mexico. His inspiration for the design? A pattern he saw on an ancient pot, the ancient sun symbol of the Zia people. 

Onto the flag’s design; the ancient Zia sun symbol, colored red, is centered on a yellow field. The colors of the flag represent the colors of New Spain, paying homage to New Mexico’s history as a Spanish colony. The use of the ancient Zia sun symbol represents New Mexico’s Native American heritage. The design is not complex, containing only straight lines and a single circle. Additionally, only two colors are utilized on the entire flag.

The use of the Zia sun symbol by Dr. Mera would start a dispute that still exists today. Since the flag was adopted by the New Mexico government as the official flag of the state in 1925, the Zia tribe have seen the governmental and private use of the sun symbol, with strong religious meaning to the tribe, as illegal. They claim that historically, the symbol was restricted for use on items that almost never left the tribe; the only way Dr. Mera could have ever obtained such pottery was either it was permitted at one point by the leaders of the tribe to give to someone outside the tribe or if the pottery was stolen, either by Dr. Mera or someone else. Additionally, the Zia people argue that the symbol is being used without permission and its continued use by the New Mexico government and private businesses degrades its sacred meaning. And they do have a point; the symbol is used everywhere. Beyond the flag, you can find the sun on New Mexico license plates, many of its state departments and even on its tourism website.

Putting aside the dispute of the symbol, I feel New Mexico’s flag to be one of the best U.S. state flags. Of course, the competition is pretty weak (literally any state that doesn’t have their seal pasted on a solid-colored field is infinitely better than 80 percent of its peers). The beauty of its design lies in its simplicity. When it comes to flags, or any symbol/seal, my motto is always, “if I can’t sketch it, then its too complicated.” You want a flag that takes 5 seconds or less from seeing it to determine what it represents. And I believe that New Mexico’s flag meets this criteria. Its use of symbolism, while controversial, does well to represent New Mexico’s long history, from the tribes of the Indigenous peoples that have called the land home for hundreds of years, to its time as a U.S. state. Its design and the fascinating history behind it are why I chose the flag of New Mexico as the topic of my first post on this site.

Thanks for reading!

Sources

Nathanson, R. (2005, June 14). New Mexico Flag Hasn’t Always Had a Zia Symbol; Earliest Version Boasted Quartz Crystals. Albuquerque Journal. https://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/361879nm06-14-05.htm

New Mexico Museum of Art. (n.d.). History: People, Places, and Politics: A Multicultural Society. New Mexico Museum of Art. Retrieved January, 2021, from http://online.nmartmuseum.org/nmhistory/people-places-and-politics/history-people-places-and-politics.html

New Mexico Office of the State Historian. (n.d.). Timelines. New Mexico History. Retrieved January, 2021, from https://newmexicohistory.org/timelines/

Turner, S. B. (2012). The Case of the Zia: Looking Beyond Trademark Law to Protect Sacred Symbols. Chi.-Kent J. Intell. Prop, 11(2), 116-121.

NM Stat § 12-3-2 (2013). https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2013/chapter-12/article-3/section-12-3-2