Ten flags that encourage travel
1. GUAM
When this unincorporated territory of the United States situated in the middle of the pacific decided that it was time to have a flag and chose to kill two birds with one stone. As its main source of income is beach-paradisiacal tourism, they chose to reflect their potential in their shield and flag. The result is so tacky that it is endearing, with a touch of a summer shirt that only the octogenarians of your urbanization wear when they go down to the pool. The palm tree, sailboat sailing and the name of the country writing is more typical of a beach bar that of an international meeting, although, yes, their innate good vibes and their lack of complexes infect them from the first minute.
Guam, the most heavenly
two. DOMINICA
On this island there is nothing that flies higher than the sisserou parrot, so they decided to make it the symbol of the republic when they became independent from the UK. That is why today it presides over its flag, surrounded by the ten stars that represent the parishes in which this Caribbean island is divided . The rest is pure chromatic exoticism that encourages, even more, to travel, with a black, white and yellow cross of Saint George and a green background that synthesizes the lush vegetation of this little paradise.
Dominica, pure chromatic exoticism
3. NEPAL
Although there is no rule that forces all flags to have the same shape, they are usually presupposed to be rectangular, even if it is a matter of use and custom. As well, this conventionalism does not suit Nepal, the only country in the world that is not represented by a rectangle, but by two overlapping triangles, one on top of the other. This fundamentally anti-system election is the maximum demonstration of respect for its past and its idiosyncrasies.
The use of triangles is justified as the representation of the Dharma (moral law, religious virtue and sacred duties) of the Hindu religion, although it also has a more geographical interpretation: are the peaks of the Himalayas . The fact that they are a pair symbolizes the two religions of the country (Hindu and Buddhism) while the way they are placed is reminiscent of traditional pagodas. Finally, the moon and the sun represented inside it have different interpretations , although all dichotomous and antithetical (calm and fierce, hot and cold...) . A whole arsenal of symbols, ancestral winks and breaths that cry out for a proper visit, the kind that wake up the soul.
Nepal, an unconventional flag
Four. SWAZILAND
After achieving its independence in 1968, this curious interior country of southern Africa considered its destiny and its image in an ecumenical way. The result is a flag that mixes blue and yellow (peace and resources of this mining country) with the red of war and its combative past . In the center are represented the arms of the Swazi tribe, the majority of the country; while the black and white color of the same was chosen to show coexistence between the two main races of the country. A totum revolutum with which a nice flag is created that, although it intends to mark territory and recall old conflicts, rather affects the exotic nature of this country.
Swaziland flag, a meltin pot
5. ISLE OF MAN
Far from pleasing the Queen and the metropolis, this dependent territory of the British Crown has wanted to reflect its independence in its banner and its fiscal attractions. That's why, their flag bear no nod to the Commonwealth but remember its Celtic past with a large trinacria in the center. It is an emblem made up of three legs joined at the hip and flexed at the knee with the toes pointing clockwise. A lady swastika or sun symbol humanized in quite a bit of detail. She has the Mediterranean replica of her on the flag of Sicily , although here her legs are more stylized, in the nexus a jellyfish appears and there is no lack of winks to the fertility of that land represented by wheat.
Isle of Man, reminiscent of its Celtic past
6. PAPUA NEW GUINEA
If most of the specimens of birds of paradise that they know each other, the logical thing is that you want to tell them. That is why, when this island country separated from its other half (in Indonesia) it chose this animal as its new icon and its yellow silhouette flies over the red background of the flag. A color that, along with the black of the other half, was chosen because it is the most used by local tribes. Democratic question. But the combination does not end here, since in its black half shine the stars of the southern cross , the most represented constellation on national flags across the sky (Australia, New Zealand...) . This cocktail ends up attracting attention for its aggressive colors and for its exotic protagonists who would not want to be under that sky now?
Papua New Guinea, among birds of paradise
7. BHUTAN
Few flags represent the history and essence of a country so well. Bhutan, which in Tibetan means ' The land of the dragon', chose this mythological animal to represent him. The beast represented here is a white thunder dragon and carries in its claws different jewels that symbolize the prosperity of this state. For its part, the orange background is that of the monarchy that governs it and the red nods to its majority religion: Buddhist. With this simplicity he manages to make the adventurer thirsty for inhospitable trips through the Himalayas salivate, something he has been doing for more than two centuries.
the dragon of bhutan
8. SRI LANKA
the of Sri Lanka is the height of the hodgepodge, of asymmetry and of trying to unite to end up creating a very strange thing to call a flag. To describe it is to try to explain the confluence of ethnic groups and beliefs that coexist on this island. To see her is to feel attracted to the lion that represents the Sinhalese ethnic group , surprised by the leaves that vindicate Buddhism, surprised by the Muslim green and the orange of the Tamils. An intense, spicy rainbow , which only increases the legends and the traveling mythology about this paradise.
The lion of the Sinhalese ethnic group, the king of the flag of Sri Lanka
9. KYRGYZSTAN
Among so many countries that end in -tán, Kyrgyzstan stands out for having been the cradle of different military leaders of Asia . That is why its flag is strange and disturbing. Without going any further, the red color of its background is the one used by the defamed Attila, king of the Huns, ancient inhabitants of this area and creators of this country. But what is really curious is the central symbol, a kind of tennis ball that shines. This is explained as the representation of Tamerlane, a famous nomadic warrior from Central Asia who in the 14th century extended his empire to India and part of Turkey. The lines that cross this yellow sphere symbolize the The tribes that supported this conqueror , although in the eyes of today's tourist everything is meaningless and this confusion invites the trip.
Kyrgyzstan, kind of... tennis ball?
10. FRISIA
Yes, okay, the city of love is Paris, but… what about the region of love? Based on a first look at its flag, it could be Friesland. And it is that this northern province of the Netherlands has a lovely flag , with symbols that look like little hearts that flood the folders of the quinceañeras. And yet, it is not a song of love. These curious shapes they are the representation of the pompeblêden , a type of water lily that populates the canals of this region in spring and that come to symbolize, in turn, the league of coastal cities that came together in the Middle Ages to combat Viking attacks. That's why they appear among some blue stripes that represent the sea , although the result does not have a military aftertaste or cause any kind of fear, rather tenderness. * You may also be interested in...
- 100 movies that make you want to travel
- The best books that make you want to travel
- 40 tattoos that make you want to travel - All articles by Javier Zori del Amo
That of Friesland, the most loving flag, or not?