For centuries discoverers have been planting flags to signal that their claim a new land. Now every country in the world has its own design. Flags originated as vexilloids, which were decorated staffs that soldiers carried into battle. Early ones were decorated with symbols to identify the groups the soldiers represented, and set them apart from the others. Over time silk and other fabrics were added to these staffs, thus the birth of flags as we know them.

It wasn't until the eighteenth century that flags began to represent whole countries. Early on they stood for ideas, civilizations, groups, and nations. Today's flags carry symbolism that is only meaningful to the citizen of the particular countries they stand for.

The stars and stripes, the national flag of the United states of America reached its current form in 1960 when Hawaii joined the USA. The flag was conceived in 1777 and since then has seen various transformations. 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. This symbolizes the unity of all states.

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.

The flag of Israel shows its Jewish values. The flag consist of blue and white stripes which represent a type of Jewish shawl used for prayers, and the symbol on the center is the Star of David. The flag became official in 1948.

Flags all over the world express their values through symbolism and sometimes religion. Often they carry religious sayings or symbols that tell the world about their countries. As territories change hands throughout the world, or two nations become one, new flags are designed. Two of the most recent and recognizable are the flags representing the United Nations and the European Union.

People love their national flags and are proud of what they express. The flag tells who the people are and what they value. Flags have proudly flown for thousands of years and will continue to fly throughout the world forever.

About the author: George Pascatt is the proprietor of Flag FX, a fantastic website to visit if you're looking for accurate up to date advice and discussion about Flags. For more articles on Flags visit: http://www.flagfx.com/articles You can swap links with us by going to: http://www.flagfx.com/links