| FLAG | COUNTRY | EXPLANATION |
 | Australia | The Australian flag was adopted in 1901 and the British Blue Ensign in the left top corner shows its historical linkage. The large star represents the Federal Commonwealth and the five smaller stars the Southern Cross Constellation. |
 | Austria | It is believed that the red and white colors of the Austrian flag date back to the Ptolemais Battle in 1191, when only the portion of the Duke of Bebenberg's tunic below his swordbelt was not stained with blood. The current design was adopted in 1918. |
 | Bangladesh | The green color symbolizes the land's fertility and the red color stands for the bloodshed during the freedom struggle. This flag was adopted by Bangladesh after separating from Pakistan in 1971. |
 | Belgium | This flag became the national flag of Belgium in 1830 on gaining independence from the Netherlands. The colors of the Belgian flag are derived from the arms of the Brabant province that rebelled against Austrian rule. |
 | Brazil | The green color signifies Brazil's forests and the yellow diamond the nation's wealth in minerals. The central sphere with the motto "Order and Progress" has 23 stars arranged according to the sky at night in Brazil. These represent the federal district and states. |
 | Canada | The present design with the simple maple leaf emblem at the center was adopted in 1965. Earlier the British Red Ensign was used but this was not popular with Canada's French population. |
 | China | The big star on the flag stands for the Communist Party program while the small stars stand for the four main social classes. The traditional red color of Communism was selected for the flag of the People's Republic of China in 1949. |
 | Denmark | This flag is probably the oldest national flag in continuous use. The Dannebrog (spirit of Denmark) flag is believed to capture King Waldemar II's vision of a white cross against a red sky before the Lyndanisse Battle in 1219. |
 | Finland | The flag's colors symbolize the blue lakes and the white snow of Finland. This flag became the official flag of Finland soon after becoming an independent republic in 1917 on separation from Russia. |
 | France | The blue and red colors are supposed to symbolize Paris, and the white color symbolizes monarchy. The current design was adopted in 1794 and stands for republican principles. |
 | Germany | The black, red and gold colors represent the struggle for a united Germany dating back to 1830. The horizontal pattern was adopted by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. |
 | Greece | The present design was adopted in 1970. It symbolizes the war cry "Freedom or Death" against the Ottoman Turkish during the battle from 1821 to 1829. The white and blue colors have become the national colors of Greece. |
 | Iceland | This flag became the official flag of Iceland in 1944 on gaining independence from Denmark. The traditional colors of Iceland are white and blue. The flag's colors show a combination of those of Denmark, Norway and the coat of arms. |
 | India | The saffron color of the Indian flag represents bravery and sacrifice; the white color signifies peace; and the green color symbolizes prosperity and the land's fertility. The wheel (Ashoka chakra) in the centre, added on independence in 1947, has 24 spokes to represent the hours in a day. The Indian tricolor evolved during the freedom struggle from the British. |
 | Indonesia | This flag became the official flag of Indonesia in 1945 on gaining independence. The red and white colors date back to the Middle Ages, and were used in 1920s during the struggle against the Netherlands. |
 | Ireland | The flag's colors represent the Roman Catholics (green), the Protestants (orange) and peace (white). The Irish flag was first used in 1848 during the freedom struggle from Britain and later adopted after independence in 1922. |
 | Israel | The six-pointed Star of David occupies the center with blue and white stripes based on a Hebrew prayer shawl at the top and bottom. Designed in America in 1891, the flag was adopted in 1948 by the Jewish state. |
 | Italy | The present flag was adopted in 1861 after the unification of Italy. The colors date back to 1796 when Napolean invaded Italy, and the French Republican National Guard carried a military standard with vertical stripes of the three colors. |
 | Japan | The flag depicts Japan (Nippon) as the Land of the Rising Sun based on its geographical location in the East. The simple design of the flag was used for many centuries by Japanese emperors, and was adopted officially in 1870. |
 | Malaysia | The blue color symbolizes the role of Malaysia in the Commonwealth. The crescent and star symbolize Islam while the red and white stripes date back to a thirteenth-century revolt. The present flag was adopted in 1963. |
 | Mexico | The central emblem of the cactus, eagle and snake is based on an ancient Aztec legend about Mexico city. The vertical stripes are derived from the French tricolor and the present design was adopted in 1968 for the Olympics. |
 | Nepal | This flag is unique because it is the only one that is not rectangular in shape. Adopted in 1962, the flag was formed by combining two triangular pennants from the nineteenth century, namely the cresent moon symbol of the royal family and the sun symbol of the Rana family. |
 | Netherlands | The Dutch tricolor is a symbol of liberty and has inspired several other revolutionary flags of the world. It dates back to 1630 and the long war of independence from Spain. |
 | New Zealand | The New Zealand flag was adopted in 1907 and the British Blue Ensign in the top-left corner shows its historical linkage. It is similar to the Australian flag but has four of the five stars of the Southern Cross Constellation. |
 | Norway | This flag became the official flag of Norway in 1898. Its design is similar to the Dannebrog flag of Denmark, which ruled Norway from the 14th century to the early 19th century. |
 | Poland | The colors come from the thirteenth-century coat of arms with a white eagle on a red field and is still observed on the Polish merchant flag. The current simple design was adopted in 1919 on becoming a republic. |
 | Portugal | The flag's green color symbolizes Henry the navigator, the red color symbolizes the monarchy, and the armillary shield represents the pioneering role played by Portugal in world navigation and exploration. The flag was adopted in 1910 when Portugal became a republic. |
 | Singapore | The crescent represents Singapore's ascent while the five starsstand for democracy, equality, justice, peace and progress. The flag was adopted in 1959 and continued when Singapore separated in 1963 from the Federation of Malaysia. |
 | South Africa | The earlier flag of South Africa had yellow, white and blue stripes. The central white stripe had the British Union flag and the flags of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. |
 | Spain | The present flag, where the yellow stripe in the middle is double the height of the individual red stripes, was adopted in 1938 during the Civil War. The colors date back to old Aragon kingdom of the 12th century. |
 | Sri Lanka | The lion emblem symbolizes the ancient Buddhist kingdom. The green stripe is said to represent the Muslims and the orange stripe the Hindus. This unique flag became the official flag of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) in 1951, three years after gaining independence from the British. |
 | Sweden | The flag's colors are derived from the ancient state coat of arms. This flag was officially adopted only in 1906 though it has been flown since King Gustavus Vasa's reign in the early 16th century. |
 | Switzerland | Although the white cross on a red shield has been the Swiss emblem since the 14th century, the current square design was officially adopted in 1848. The flag of the International Red Cross, headquartered in Geneva, is inspired by the Swiss flag. |
 | Taiwan | This design was adopted as China's national flag in 1928 by the Nationalists, who used it in their battle against Mao Tse-tung's Communist army. The flag was taken by them in 1949 when forced to retreat to Taiwan (then Formosa). |
 | Thailand | What survive after 1916 from the traditional red-on-white elephant emblem of Thailand are the two red and two white bands. In 1917, the blue band was inserted to express solidarity with the Allies in World War I. |
 | United Kingdom | The first Union flag, which dates back to 1603, combines England's cross of St. George and Scotland's cross of St. Andrew. The present flag was formed in 1801 by adding the Irish emblem, the cross of St. Patrick. |
 | United States of America | The 50 stars represent the present states of the Union, while the 13 stripes represent the original colonies that rebeled against the British. Since the War of Independence in 1777, the flag has had the "Stars and Stripes" design. |
