Stamp Matters - National Flags

Each sovereign country in the world has a national flag, looked upon with pride by the whole population. It is the symbol shown to the world of our national identity in all situations where that country is being represented among other countries. Some countries have a flag which is readily recognised by others, while others can be mistaken or indeed obscure outside its immediate neighbours. Some have been around for a long time, while others are relatively new. Some are a mixture of flags of countries which have joined together to form a single country, like the Union Jack of Great Britain which is also made a part of the flags of former colonies.

New flags often show that the country is a former colony which has gained independence, while others show a political change of government like Russia and South Africa, or just a change to show individuality like Canada. One flag which has constantly changed is that of the United States of America which adds a new star when a territory it controls gains statehood.

There is no flag with a single colour. Many have just two and some have three with a few having more. The different colours sometimes come in bars of different sizes, either vertically or horizontally such as France, Ireland or Italy which are vertical and Belgium or Russia which have horizontal stripes. Others use crosses of one colour on a background of another colour like Norway or Switzerland. Other countries use symbols on flags of another colour. The Southern Cross appears on flags of the Southern hemisphere countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Others use Christian crosses or the five-pointed star of Islam as part of the design.

Israel uses the six-pointed Star of David. Mexico features a cactus and an eagle holding a rattlesnake in its beak. The flag of Mozambique in Africa features crossed AK47 rifles, Papua - New Guinea has a bird of paradise. The flag of Argentina features a golden sun with a stylised face.

Every national flag, except two, is oblong in shape. The odd ones are Switzerland which is a square flag and Nepal which is a swallowtail of sorts. Each flag can be described symbolically to reflect the character of its inhabitants. Australia uses the Union Jack, a symbol of British origin and the Southern Cross, a symbol of independence used on a flag flown at Eureka in Victoria in a civil uprising against the government of the time.

The colours used as a background on the Australian flag can vary with different circumstances. Our national flag has a dark blue field but our merchant ships have a red field, our naval ships have a white field and the air force a light blue field. The stars of the Southern cross and the seven-pointed nation star are different colours on these flags. These flags were shown on a set of four in 1991 to celebrate Australia Day.