The Best National Flag

[Herschel]

1. Scotland
2. Israel
3. Macedonia

Special mention to Angola for "truth in Advertising" with a freakin' machete on their flag.

 

[kimikodesu]

I agree about the Nepal flag. I never even knew that, it's pretty awesome.

 

[Morrus]

I've always thought we in the UK have by far the best flag. Dunno what will happen if Scotland gets it's independence though.

 

[tuxgeo]

Probably nothing: England+Wales+Northern-Ireland could still use the Union Jack. (It's not as though there was anything Welsh or Irish in it, anyway.)

And didn't England get the Cross of St. George by borrowing from Malta in the first place? St. George wasn't English.

Personally (having never been across the pond), I expect the Scots to be practical about that, let their cooler heads prevail, and stay in the Union. There are geographic and economic reasons for that; and it's not just the access to roads and airports: it's also the common currency, freedom of movement across the border, and the trade.

 

[darrell_uk]

Wales not being a kingdom is covered by St George's cross. Northern Ireland is most certainly there, as it's the red diagonal cross.
If Scotland left the United Kingdom then its flag should be removed from the flag of the UK, taking away all of the blue, and the white diagonal cross.

Whilst St George wasn't English he is the Patron Saint of England.

 

[tuxgeo]

Union Flag being upside down has to do with whether the diagonals join the side or the base of the rectangle. It's not easy to spot.

Had to look it up to see. So: the red stripes in the diagonals are off-center within the diagonal white stripes, and in a regular pattern: offset counter-clockwise as seen from one side, clockwise as seen from the other. This causes the red stripes to be higher within the diagonals at the free end of the flag, and lower within the diagonals at the pole end (grommet end?) of the flag.

The red joins the top at the free end and the bottom at the pole end, but joins the side at both the top-pole corner and the bottom-free corner.

Thanks. I learned things today. That's never wasted.

 

[Kaodi]

The Flag of Canada will always be first in my heart, .

That said, I do like the flags of the UK and Israel. And one that I do not think has been mentioned yet but which I find pretty badass is South Africa.

Another slightly different thing that came to my attention recently due to the Canadian visit to Israel: the Canadian and Israeli flags look quite beautiful lined up in alternation. There is something about the red and white plus blue in white with contrasting yet similar orientation of the stripes and symbols that is quite striking.

The US flag is nice I guess, but the effect has been ruined by politics and how often it is thrust in our faces in television and film. From an aesthetic standpoint it would probably be nicer with fewer stars lined up just a bit differently.

 

[Scott DeWar]

The US flag is nice I guess, but the effect has been ruined by politics and how often it is thrust in our faces in television and film. From an aesthetic standpoint it would probably be nicer with fewer stars lined up just a bit differently.

keep in mind of the number of stars is the number of states, as part of our nation;s title of the united states.

also, just looked at the flag of great Britain and I now see the difference of the stripes at the diagonals. very subtle.

 

[Viking Bastard]

The one I've seen for Greenland puzzles me, though. I mean, I GET the symbolism...but it just seems tht Greenland should have GREEN in their flag.

But... they don't have much actual green. And the Greenlanders don't call themselves Greenlanders (they call themselves Kalaallit), or their country Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat, "land of the Kalaallit"). The whole Greenland thing was a PR move by an Icelandic exile who wanted company.

 

[Scott DeWar]

re: flag of greenland sybolism

is it because of the land of the midnight sun thing?