The Rainbow Flag was designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist, in response to a local activist's call for a symbol for the homosexual community. The Rainbow Flag originally had eight stripes, from top to bottom: pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo, and violet. The Rainbow Flag has evolved into a standard six-stripe form, from top to bottom: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Do the points on the maple leaf of Canada's flag signify anything?
In 1921, King George V proclaimed the official colors of Canada to be red, from the Saint George's Cross, and white, from the French royal emblem since King Charles VII. As early as 1700, the maple leaf served as a symbol which celebrated the natural Canadian environment. The maple leaf on the flag is a sugar maple leaf. Sugar maples are native to Canada and have brilliant fall foliage. The number of points on the leaf has no significance; they do not, for instance, represent the ten provinces plus the territories.
What is the national flag of the U.K.?
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.. Originally reserved for use only at sea, the government has stated that there is no objection to subjects using the Union Jack on land, so it has effectively become the national flag. There are three official national flags used at sea, the white, red and blue ensigns. The Union Jack is reserved at sea for specific, military uses; civilian ships should fly the Red Ensign, a red flag with the Union Jack in the canton.
Why wasn't the Queen's Standard lowered to half-mast when Princess Diana died?
The Queen's (or King's) Standard is never lowered to half-staff, even upon the death of the Queen, so long as there remains someone to succeed to the throne. To do so would signify the end of the Monarchy. To express the grief of the Royal Family, Buckingham Palace hoisted the Union Jack at half-staff (though a "junior official" did commit a breach of protocol by briefly lowering the Standard to half-staff instead).
What does the Arabic script mean on the flags of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan?
The phrase Allah akbar, or "Allah is great," which is written in between the stars of the Iraqi flag, and in between the stripes on the Iranian flag 22 times is to commemorate the 22nd day of the month when the Islamic Revolution took place. Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan both bear the shahada, the affirmation of the Muslim faith: "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is His prophet." In many Islamic countries, calligraphy is an important art form and some of countries literally spell out their faith in Islam on their flag because representation of the human form is strictly forbidden by Islam