Every country in the world has its own flag. Flags were used when a new land was discovered. Whoever first discovered it would plant their flag to signify their claim to the land. Flags came from the use of staffs or vexilloids, most commonly used to lead men into battle. These staffs were decorated with symbols and other items, giving the soldiers a unified feeling. Later these staffs were adorned with silk and other types of material, making them resemble the flags we see today.



Throughout the history of mankind, flags have been used to signify different things such as civilizations, ideas, groups, and nations. It was only in the eighteenth century that flags were initially used to symbolize a nation. Today, every country in the world has their own flag. These flags have symbols that the country men relate to and hold with pride close to their hearts as a cherished possession.

The flag of the United States of America is also known as the stars and stripes. This flag was completed in 1960 when Hawaii joined the USA. Until then it had been constantly revised since 1777. The stripes symbolize the first 13 states that made up the USA and each state is represented by a star, thus showing 50 stars on the flag.

The flag of United Kingdom or Great Britain is also known as the Union Jack. The flag which has been the official symbol since 1801, symbolizes the three unification of three different countries; England, Scotland, and Ireland. Currently, the Union Jack represents Northern Ireland, as the rest of Ireland became its own state in 1920. A novel observation is that the Union Jack itself forms a part of the flag of some nations - Australia for one.

The Canadian flag is made up of a red maple leaf and red stripes. The maple leaf was a Canadian symbol for many years, and the flag bearing it became official in 1965. The stripes stand for the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans which border the country on each side.

The flag of Barbados is an interesting one. It is represented by two stripes of blue on either side which represent the ocean and the sky, and the center which is yellow represents Barbados' beaches. The interesting part is the trident in the center, which represents Neptune. The trident is broken, which symbolizes Barbados' split from Britain in 1966 when the flag was made official.

Jewish values are prominently displayed to the world on the flag of Israel. The flag that became official in 1948, has blue and white stripes which represent a type of Jewish shawl used for prayers. The flag also has the Star of David in the center.

All flags are rich in heritage, steeped in history, symbolism, and very often religion. There are many flags that have religious sayings or symbols on them. Sometimes, flags go through a transformation owing to shift in territories shift and creation of new nations. The flags of the United Nations and the European Union are two new flags in this impressive galaxy.

Flags have been used for centuries as a symbol of identification and play an important step in bringing people together. The people of a nation identify themselves with their national flag which is a symbol of pride, "belongingness", identity and independence.