#77 FOTW - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

The national flag of Luxembourg consists of three horizontal stripes, red, white and light blue, and can be in a 1:2 or 3:5 ratio. It was first used between 1845 and 1848 and officially adopted in 1993. It is informally called in the country, «rout, wäiß, blo» ("red, white, blue"). The red, white, and light blue colours were derived from the coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg.

 

#76 FOTW - Budapest, Hungary

The modern flag of Hungary originated from the national freedom movement from before 1848, which culminated in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. The revolution was not only in opposition against the monarchy but also the Habsburg Empire and to form an independent republic. Accordingly, the flag of Hungary features a tricolour element based on the flag of France as a reflection of the ideas of the French Revolution of 1848.

Folklore of the romantic period attributed the colours to virtues: red for strength, white for faithfulness and green for hope. Alternatively, red for the blood spilt for the fatherland, white for freedom and green for the land, for the pastures of Hungary. The new constitution, which took effect on 1 January 2012, makes the ex-post interpretation mentioned first official (in the semi-official translation: strength, fidelity and hope).

 

#75 FOTW - Basra, Iraq

The national flag of Iraq includes the three equal horizontal red, white, and black stripes of the Arab Liberation flag and the green word ʾAllāhu ʾakbar " in Kufic script

The Iraqi flag consists of four colours: red, white, green and black, inspired by the poetic verse of Safi al-Din al-Hilli: "Our actions are bright, our battlefields are dark, our lands are green, and our swords are red with the blood of our enemies".

 

#74 FOTW - Paramaribo, Suriname

The flag was designed as a result of a national competition, with the winning design being accepted by the Surinamese parliament in 1975. Jack Pinas, an art teacher and graphic designer, won the design competition. 

The green horizontal band on both the top and bottom of the flag represents the richness of the country's agricultural lands; the white horizontal band represents freedom and independence and red symbolizes progress and hope. The star on the centre of the flag reflects the sacrifices endured for the Surinamese independence as well as the unity of the country and a bright future. The Surinamese political parties are indicated by the different colours that are used in the flag.

 

#73 FOTW - Laagri, Estonia

A symbolic interpretation made popular by the poetry of Martin Lipp says the blue is for the vaulted blue sky above the native land, the black for attachment to the soil of the homeland as well as the fate of Estonians — for centuries black with worries, and white for purity, hard work, and commitment.

On 23 February 1989, the Soviet flag was taken down permanently from the Pikk Hermann tower of the Toompea Castle in the capital city of Tallinn. It was replaced with the blue-black-white flag on the next morning, 24 February, upon the 70th anniversary of the Estonian Declaration of Independence (1918).

 

#72 FOTW - Moroni, Comoros

The national flag of the Union of the Comoros was designed in 2001 and officially adopted on 23 December of that year. It continues to display the crescent and four stars, which is a motif that has been in use in various forms since 1975 during the independence movement. 

The design consists of a white crescent with four white five-pointed stars inside of a green triangle. The flag has four stripes, representing the four main islands of the nation: yellow for Mohéli, white for Mayotte (a French department claimed by the Comoros), red for Anjouan and blue for Grande Comore. The four stars on the flag also symbolize the four islands. The star and crescent, as well as the colour green on the flag, symbolise their main religion, Islam.

 

#71 FOTW - Moscow, Russia

At the time of Alexander III of Russia, the official interpretation was as follows: the white colour symbolizes nobility and frankness; the blue for faithfulness, honesty, impeccability, and chastity; and the red for courage, generosity, and love. A common unofficial interpretation was: Red: Great Russia, White: White Russia, Blue: Little Russia.

The federal constitutional law of the Russian Federation only says that the colours of the flag are "white", "blue" (синий, or dark blue, as Russian has two colours that are called "blue" in English), and "red". The Federal Constitutional Law on the State Flag of the Russian Federation does not specify which shades the colours should be. 

 

#70 FOTW - Leszno, Poland

The national flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colours are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colours. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white fess is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea. A similar flag with the addition of a white eagle is used as the naval ensign of Poland.

White and red were officially adopted as national colours in 1831, although these were associated with Poland since the Middle Ages and were emphasized on royal banners. They are of heraldic origin and derive from the tinctures (colours) of the coats of arms of the two constituent nations of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (i.e., the White Eagle of Poland, and the Pursuer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a white knight riding a white horse), both on a red shield.

 

#69 FOTW - Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island

The flag of Christmas Island was unofficially adopted in 1986 after being chosen the winner in a competition for a flag for the territory. It was designed by Tony Couch of Sydney, Australia. 

The flag of Christmas Island consists of a green and blue background, split from the top left corner to the bottom right. These colours are intended to represent the land and sea respectively. The Southern Cross constellation appears in the bottom left of the flag similar to the flag of Australia. In the top right, the golden bosun bird appears. It is considered to be a symbol of the Island. The last motif that appears in the centre of the flag on a golden disc is the map of the island in green. The disc itself was originally only included to offset the green colour of the map but has become linked to the mining industry.

The first European to sight Christmas Island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615. Captain William Mynors named it on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643.

 

#68 FOTW - Dumbravita, Romania

The civil flag of Andorra and the state flag of Chad are very similar to the Romanian national flag. The similarity with Chad's flag, which is identical apart from allowing a broader range of shades of blue, yellow and red, has caused international discussion. In 2004, Chad asked the United Nations to examine the issue. However, then-president of Romania Ion Iliescu announced that there would be no changes to the flag. 

 

#67 FOTW - Lima, Peru

The flag of Peru was adopted by the government of Peru in 1825, and modified in 1950. According to article 49 of the Constitution of Peru, it is a vertical triband with red outer bands and a single white middle band. It may be defaced with different emblems and has different names depending on its use. Flag Day in Peru is celebrated on 7 June, the anniversary of the Battle of Arica.

 

#66 FOTW - Gaborone, Botswana

The national flag of Botswana consists of a sky blue field cut horizontally in the centre by a black stripe with a thin white frame. Adopted in 1966 to replace the Union Jack, it has been the flag of the Republic of Botswana since the country gained independence that year. It is one of the few African flags that utilises neither the colours of the Pan-Africanist movement nor the colours of the country's leading political party.

 

#65 FOTW - Casablanca, Morocco

The flag of Morocco is the flag used by the government of Morocco and has served as the national flag of Morocco since 17 November 1915. It has a red field with a green pentagram in the centre. The green star represents the five pillars of Islam, and the red represents the ancestors' blood and unity.

 

#64 FOTW - Bangkok, Thailand

The flag of Thailand shows five horizontal stripes in the colours red, white, blue, white and red, with the central blue stripe being twice as wide as each of the other four. The design was adopted on 28 September 1917, according to the royal decree issued by Rama VI. Since 2016, that day has been a national day of importance in Thailand celebrating the flag. The colours are said to stand for nation-religion-king, an unofficial motto of Thailand, red for the land and people, white for religions and blue for the monarchy, the last having been the auspicious colour of Rama VI.

 

#63 FOTW - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The national flag of Malaysia, also known as the Stripes of Glory is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan (Federal Star). 

The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity among these entities. 

The crescent represents Islam, the country's state religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers.

 

#62 FOTW - Foundiougne, Senegal

The flag of Senegal is a tricolour consisting of three vertical green, yellow and red bands charged with a five-pointed green star at the centre. Adopted in 1960 to replace the flag of the Mali Federation, it has been the flag of the Republic of Senegal since the country gained independence that year. The present and previous flags were inspired by the French Tricolour, which flew over Senegal until 1960.

 

#61 FOTW - London, United Kingdom

The flag of Europe or the European flag consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe.

 

#60 FOTW - ASEAN, Indonesia

The Flag of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is one of the official symbols of the association. It consists of the official emblem of ASEAN on a blue background. The colours of the flag – blue, red, white, and yellow – represent the main colours of the national flags of all ten member states. Blue represents peace and stability, red represents courage and dynamism, white represents purity, and yellow represents prosperity.

 

#59 FOTW - Cardiff, Wales

The flag of Wales consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with many heraldic charges, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised in law. The colours of green and white are the colours of the Tudor family; a standard featuring the red dragon was used by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, after which it was carried in state to St Paul's Cathedral, and a dragon added as a supporter of the Tudor royal arms.

It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959. Several cities include a dragon in their flag design, including Cardiff, the Welsh capital.

 

#58 FOTW - Singapore

The flag of Singapore was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It remained the national flag upon the country's independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. 

The design is a horizontal bicolour of red above white, overlaid in the canton (upper-left quadrant) by a white crescent moon facing a pentagon of five small white five-pointed stars.

The National Symbols Act defines the flag's composition and the symbolism of its elements: red symbolises "universal fellowship and equality", and white symbolises "pervading and everlasting purity and virtue". The crescent moon represents a "young nation on the ascendant". The five stars stand for the nation's ideals of "democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality". The crescent symbol is also seen by the nation's Muslim activists to represent Islam.