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A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation.
The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars.
National flags are adopted by governments to strengthen national bonds and legitimate formal authority. Such flags may contain symbolic elements of their peoples, militaries, territories, rulers, and dynasties. The flag of Denmark is the oldest flag still in current use as it has been recognized as a national symbol since the 14th century.
The origin of flags is unknown. Some of the earliest known banners come from ancient China to identify different parts of the army. [3] For example, it is recorded that the armies of the Zhou dynasty in the 11th century BC carried a white banner before them, although no extant depictions exist of these banners.
The specific problem is: The tables contain many flags that were only ever proposals or are anachronistic. Please help improve this article if you can. ( October 2021 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message )
The flag of Argentina, created by Manuel Belgrano during the war of independence, was the inspiration for the United Provinces of Central America's flag, which in turn was the origin for the flags of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. National flag designs are often used to signify nationality in other forms, such as flag patches.
See also: Flags of the U.S. states and territories A 2.00 m × 1.70 m oil painting showing historical US flags. This is a list of flags in the United States describing the evolution of the flag of the United States, as well as other flags used within the United States, such as the flags of governmental agencies. There are also separate flags for embassies and ships. National flags Main article ...
The flag of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: bratach na h-Alba; [1] Scots: Banner o Scotland, also known as St Andrew's Cross or the Saltire) [2] is the national flag of Scotland, which consists of a white saltire defacing a blue field.