What’s so special about your national flag, and why does it look the way it does? It might take you mere seconds to recognise a certain flag, but lots of planning goes into their designs and specific meanings. This week we’re looking at some of the most fascinating flags of the world, their unique and symbolic features, and what they mean to people in different cultures.

United Kingdom

Most Britons know that the Union Jack is a hybrid of three saltires—St Andrew’s Cross for Scotland, St George’s Cross for England, and the red-and-white St Patrick’s Saltire for Ireland. But what do you know about the Scottish and English flags themselves?

The red on white St George’s Cross flag can actually be traced back to the 10th century when it is believed that Richard the Lionheart himself chose it as his ensign during the crusades. It wasn’t introduced to England until late in the 13th century when it was used by English soldiers without any associations with Saint George himself. By the mid-1500s, all other saint’s banners had been abolished in England except for Saint George’s Cross, and in 1606 it was finally combined with St Andrew’s Cross after the “Union of Crowns” which united Scotland and England.

Fun fact: The City of London flag displays the St George's Cross with a red sword that is thought to symbolise the weapon that beheaded Saint Paul, London’s patron saint!

Scotland 

Scotland’s St Andrew’s Saltire was first flown in the early 1500s and is believed to be among Europe’s oldest. The white diagonal cross symbolises the white X-shaped cross on which the apostle St Andrew was crucified before he became the patron saint of Russia, Ukraine, and Greece. 

Why blue? There are two theories: one is that St. Andrew wore blue, and the Scottish flag represents his robes against the cross. The other is that the white represents a formation of clouds that appeared to King Angus of the Picts and Scots on the eve of a triumphant battle against the Saxons in 832AD. Angus swore that if he won, St Andrew would become Scotland’s patron saint, which is one possible reason why the national flag is as it is!

Now let’s venture further afield with some fun facts about world flags!

Denmark

Denmark’s white on red cross is believed to be the world’s oldest flag, with a design that dates back to 1219. It was first adopted as the nation’s official flag in 1625 and hasn’t been changed since. Considering that the United States’ national ensign has been redesigned almost 30 times, the Flag of Denmark has a pretty long history!

The simple but well-beloved design is thought to be the inspiration for other Scandinavian flags, such as the Finnish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Swedish flags.

Switzerland

Switzerland’s red and white flag might look similar to Denmark’s. but it’s one of only two square flags in the world (the other belongs to The Vatican City). It was adopted in the 1800s, making the Swiss flag another design that has remained unchanged for many years.

Fun fact #2: Switzerland’s very first sovereign flag (for the Helvetic Republic) was created by Emperor Napoleon and combined red, green, and yellow in a design that didn’t last too long at all!

Canada  

Don’t you just love this flag? The Canada Flag is a relatively new one that was adopted in the 60’s when Canada wanted a design without the Union Jack. The iconic maple leaf symbolises peace, unity, openness, freedom, and tolerance, as well as the earliest settlers’ frequent use of maple tree sap in daily life.

Did you know that red and white are the country’s official colours, as proclaimed by King George V in 1921?

3 More Fun Facts about Flags

As we said, there’s a lot to know about flags, so here are a few more facts for the next time you’re decorating for a celebration!

  1. The official name for a flag expert is a Vexillologist. Now that you know all these facts, you’re a few steps closer to becoming one!
  2. All of the world’s flags have four corners, except for one—the flag of Nepal. 
  3. The least popular flag colour is purple, which only appears on two national flags. Can you name them? (Psst…they’re the Dominica flag and Nicaragua flag!)