Flags Missing Key Elements Part 2 Quiz

Answer: Albania

The double-headed eagle is a symbol of strength that originated already during the Byzantine Empire. When Gjergj Kastrioti (better known as Skanderbeg, 1405-1468) revolted against the Ottoman Empire in 1443, he chose the double-headed eagle to symbolize the Albanian people (although the same symbol has also been used by Serbia, Russia, Transylvania and others).

When Albania gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire, the double-headed eagle was once again incorporated in the national flag and in the coat of arms. During the Kingdom a golden crown was added, and during the communist era a golden star was added - but since 1992 there is only the eagle that remains on the red background.

Egypt's flag shows a one-headed eagle in gold. Kiribati has a frigatebird on its flag, while Papua New-Guinea shows a bird-of-paradise.

Answer: Belarus

Matrona Markevich developed the pattern in 1917, inspired by local plants. Alas, her husband was interned in a work camp in Siberia, and the original ruchnik went missing.

In 1951 the Belarusian Soviet Republic adopted a flag of green and red, with a ruchnik pattern (white on red) at the hoist and the communist golden hammer and sickle symbol, topped by a red star in golden outline near the top left corner in the red portion of the flag.

Belarus seceded from the Soviet-Union in 1992 and voted in a referendum on the new flag in 1995. This national flag maintains the green and red, as well as the ruchnik pattern near the hoist, but the ruchnik pattern has inversed colours (red on white instead of white on red). The hammer and sickle and the red star have disappeared.

Russia, Armenia and Lithuania are plain horizontal tricolours: white-blue-red for Russia, yellow-green-red for Lithuania and red-blue-yellow for Armenia.

Answer: Dragon

Bhutan is also nicknamed the Thunder Dragon kingdom, so it makes sense that the mythical animal portrayed on the Bhutan flag is a dragon. It is indeed a white dragon crawling upwards along the diagonal between the yellow and orange parts, and holding a gem in each of its four paws.

The yellow colour symbolizes the civic authority, while the orange part represents the spirituality of Buddhist monks. The white colour of the dragon symbolizes purity, and the fact that it is divided equally over the yellow and orange part indicates that both the civic authority and the Buddhist spirituality are of utmost importance for the Bhutan people.

Wales also has a dragon on its flag. You can find a unicorn on the coat of arms of a few cities (for instance Saint-Lô in France), a griffin on the coat of arms of the Crimean peninsula, and a phoenix as symbol for the First Hellenic Republic (1822-1832).

Answer: Area of the Brazilian states

Brazil is one of the very few nations that has declared by law that the flag design should be adapted at each time an important criterium of the constituent states changes: when a new state is created, a star has to be added, and when a state is disbanded, its star has to be eliminated.

In the version of the flag adopted in 1992, there are 27 stars: one for each of the 26 states and one for the federal district.

Some sources state that the stars are placed as they could have been observed over Rio de Janeiro at the moment when the Southern Cross was exactly overhead in a vertical outline (November 15, 1889, at 8.30 AM), but a Brazilian law of 1971 defines the position otherwise.

There are five possible sizes for the stars: the Federal District has the smallest size, size 5. The different states have a star sized proportionally to their respective area (otherwise the flag would have to be redrawn too frequently). So for instance Amazonas and Mato Grosso have the biggest stars, just a bit larger than Rio de Janeiro.

Answer: A dove with an olive branch

Brunei is a small monarchy on the island of Borneo.

The yellow part symbolizes the Sultan, while the black and white stripes represent his two most important advisors: the prime minister (white) and the minister of foreign affairs (black).

The red crescent symbolizes Islam, the major religion in this Sultanate. The state motto "Always render service with God's guidance" is inscribed in this crescent. Just below the crescent is a red banderole with the state name "Brunei Darussalam", which can be translated as "Brunei, abode of peace." On top of the red crescent is a red parasol (symbol of the government) flanked by two red hands reaching upwards, the hands symbolizing the government's benevolence.
As Brunei is named an abode of peace, a dove with an olive branch would be a welcome addition. However, the dove of peace is always depicted in white, never in red.

Answer: There are four major islands

The Comoros is an island group in the Indian Ocean, roughly between Mozambique and Madagascar. The main islands are Njazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli) and Nzwani (Anjouan), plus Mayotte - an island that the Comoros government counts as its own territory, while France continues to consider it a French overseas department. Each of this islands is represented by another colour on the flag: blue stands for Njazidja with the capital Moroni, yellow stands for Mwali and red for Nzwani, which leaves white for Mayotte.

The religion in the Comoros is mostly Sunni Islam - represented by the white crescent and the colour green.

There are only three official languages: French, Arabic and the local Comorian.
Agriculture stands for over half of the employment, as is the case in many African countries. Main export products are vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and ylang-ylang.

Answer: Sisserou parrot

Dominica is one of the Caribbean island nations. Its national animal is the sisserou parrot, a parrot with a grey to purple chest and green wings with red wingtips. It is an endangered species.

The green field of the flag represents the forests on the island. The yellow - black - white lines represent the Christian idea of the Trinity, while each colour maintaining its own meaning: black for the local population (many of which have African slaves as ancestors), yellow for the fertile soil, white for the purity of the water. The red circle is associated with justice (an association unusual in heraldry), and the ten green stars each represent one of the parishes on the island. But the most distinctive element is the national animal, the sisserou parrot.

The hawksbill turtle is one of the national animals of Antigua and Barbuda. The blue marlin is the national fish of the Bahamas. And the white-tailed deer is one of the national animals of Costa Rica and Honduras.

Answer: Ecuador

Colombia borders five countries: Brazil and the four options you had to choose from.

In 1821 the northwestern part of South-America claimed its independence of Spain, under the name Gran Colombia. This republic comprised present-day Venezuela, present-day Colombia, present-day Ecuador, and was joined by the region Panama. In 1828 Gran Colombia fought a war with Peru and lost some contested areas to Peru. Soon after Gran Colombia fell apart into Venezuela, New Granada (nowadays Ecuador) and Colombia (with Panama). Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903.

Ecuador has maintained the Colombian flag, just with the addition of the national coat of arms (toped by an eagle) in the centre of the flag. Venezuela has also maintained the same colour scheme yellow - blue - red, but made the three parts of the same height, added the coat of arms in the left upper corner and added eight white stars in the centre of the flag.

Peru and Panama have flags of different colour schemes: Peru has vertical bands red - white - red, with for the state flag the coat of arms added in the centre. And Panama's flag is divided in four quarters, clockwise from the top of the hoist: white (with a blue star) - red - white (with a red star) - blue.

Answer: A shield with spears and staff

The flag of Eswatini shows a black and white shield lengthwise over two spears and a long staff. The shield symbolizes military protection, and the colour scheme for the shield (half black, half white) represents the hope that people from both races can live together in peace. On both sides of the staff there is a tassel made out of the plumage of rare local birds, symbolizing the importance the government vests in the flag (as only the King and his entourage are allowed to use these tassels).

The other colours of the Eswatini flag mean the past battles (red), hope for future peace (blue) and the country's natural reserves (yellow).

Angola has the machete and a gearwheel, both depicted in gold on a background of red and black.

The gun (a Kalashnikov) is depicted on the flag of Mozambique, together with a black hoe over a white book on a yellow star in a red triangle. The rest of the flag is striped green - white - black - white - yellow.

You'll find the trident on the flag of Bermuda, on a background of blue - gold - blue.

Answer: Gold

Kazakhstan is one of the former soviet Republics that gained their independence in 1992, when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics fell apart. At that moment they needed of course to come up with a new flag.

Shaken Niyazbekov (1938-2014), a local artist, sent in the winning design in a competition. The blue symbolizes the cultural and ethnic authenticity and unity of the country, as well as the blue sky over the steppes. The other elements are depicted in gold and have their own significance: the sun for wealth, the sun rays (resembling ears of grain) for fertility, the eagle for the Kazakh tribes and freedom, and the koshkar-muiz as a traditional symbol used by all Kazakhs.
Surely you didn't pick a green or a black sun: that would not make sense. And a red sun would implicate scorched earth, which is totally undesirable.