-
The Flag of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s flag was first adopted on March 3rd, 1992, not long after independence from the Soviet Union. But a slight change was made to the flag just one year ago, on December 26th, 2023. Check it out! You’ll notice the design of the overall flag hasn’t changed much. So what’s the story behind the original?…
-
The Flag of Libya
On December 24, 1951, the North African country of Libya gained its independence from Allied occupation following World War II. It was previously an Italian colony. This day is now widely celebrated as Libya’s independence day. A map of Libya (from the CIA’s World Factbook). Most familiarly, Libya has a border with Egypt to the…
-
A Field Guide to Flag Vocab
When talking about flags, there are many specific terms that are used to describe their designs and patterns. Let’s take a look at a few of them! Basic Flag Terms Sides and Faces of the Flag Say you’re looking at a picture of France’s flag: Most illustrations of flags are created as if the hoist…
-
The Flag of Nicaragua
On August 27, 1971, the Central American country of Nicaragua officially adopted its current national flag (one of the few country flags to include purple!); let’s learn about its design! The design consists of two bands of blue (“azure”) with the coat of arms in the center, on a white band. This design is similar…
-
The Flag of India
On August 15th, 1947, the South Asian country of India gained independence from the United Kingdom. The final version of the flag, which has since remained unchanged, was adopted a few days earlier. Here we break down its symbolism and how it was designed. Although the original design features the colors saffron, white, and green,…
-
The Flag of Pakistan
On August 14th, 1947, the South Asian country of Pakistan achieved its independence from the United Kingdom. It took with it the flag below, which was adopted a few days earlier, on August 11th. In this article we’ll explore some of the symbolism behind this flag. The main components of the flag are the white…
-
Good Rules for Good Flags
There are lots of flags in the world. Not only are there some 200 countries (depending on how you count!), but oftentimes states, provinces, and cities are given their own flags, not to mention international organizations and groups of people with a common identity! All of these flags possess a wide range of designs, some…
-
What is Vexillology?
Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The term, coined in 1957, comes from the Latin word vexillum, a kind of flag from Roman cavalry. Before this time period, flag studying was considered a part of heraldry (the study of armorial bearings). Similar to “vexillology”, the term vexillography refers to the art of designing and…
Flag Digest
The flags that define our world
