text: World Flags | Geography for Kids | Flags of the World | Geo for Kids
  In earlier centuries certain groups of people decorated spears and other utensils that showed their tribe's or community's cultural symbols. Later people also used ribbons, leather or silk decorations on the spears to distinguish their group from another group.
  The early explorers and colonialists always put crosses or sculptures up when they landed on land unknown to them until that time. Later they used flags to proclaim their presence or show sovereignty.
  And still today, countries redesign their flags whether after gaining independence or confidence in displaying their native symbols again on flags.
  In 2017, Mauretania redesigned their flag to include red colour stripes to symbolise the fight of their people defending their territory.
  Flags show that we belong to a community, organisation or nation and that we share the same beliefs and goals and follow the same set of rules and regulations.
  Flags are national symbols. Every country flies a specific flag as their national symbol.
  The first flags were flown in the 18th century to tell others that one:
  owns a piece of land ('proclaim a possession') and
  rules over the people and land ('proclaim sovereignty').
  When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon as the first person in the world in 1969, he erected an American flag on the moon. Above you can see a picture of this historic event.
  Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first men to climb and reach the top of the world's highest mountain Mount Everest in May 1953.
  Sir Edmund Hillary put up the British 'Union Jack' at the mountain top when they reached the summit. However, this was done not because he was British but because the expedition was financed and organised in Britain.
  Hillary from New Zealand and Norgay from Nepal did not claim the mountain for their countries, but put up the flag of the United Kingdom instead.
  Other important flags to know
  Read here more about the Olympic Games
  Read here our EU Facts for Kids
  Now which symbols are most used in flags?
  All cultures use certain symbols which are meaningful to them. Some symbols are universal, that is they have the same meaning all over the world. Among these are:
  Japan is often referred to as the "land of the rising sun" and uses the sun in its national flag. The sun is displayed as a circle.
  Another country using this powerful symbol is Argentina.
  •	Stars: Constellations of stars often represent energy, especially when depicting the night sky or star constellation.
  The flag of the USA is called "Stars and Stripes". Other countries depicting stars in their national flags are: Australia, Comoros, New Zealand, Brazil.
  Among other countries using this symbol are: Denmark, England, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK
  • Triangle: The three points of a triangle represent the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in Christianity. The triangle often also symbolizes strenght and power.
  Countries using this symbol: Bahamas, Cuba, Eritrea, Sudan, American Samoa and others
  Use of Colours in Flags
  As you can see above, red and white are dominant colors in most of the world's flags.
  Most flags contain primary colours, which are red, blue, green and some countries also use yellow or secondary colors. Gold is also used in many flags as the colour is associated with the sun and is considered as colour of kings as well.
  Most flags use more than two colours. Among the multicolour flags are:
  Colours can have different meanings in different cultures.
  Learn more about Flag Colours, click on the image
  Read more about the meaning of flag colours on our special page.
  We hope you have enjoyed reading about world flags and bookmark our website. Have fun exploring our wonderful world:-)
  Resources | World Flags
  Time. "What is the most patriotic colour?" Time. Last accessed 26 January 2022
  Central Intelligence Agency. "Flags of the World." WorldFactBook. Last accessed 26 January 2022
  Wikicommons. "Gallery with Flags of Triangles." Wikipedia. Last accessed 26 January 2022
  More about Flag Colours
  <a href="https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/world-flags.html">Kids World Travel Guide: World Flags</a>