Switzerland's Best Asset? The Flag is a Big Plus! Quiz

Answer: The Red Cross

The flag of Switzerland is very simple; it is a simple white cross (or a "Big Plus" sign you might say) on an all red background. The symbol for the Red Cross is the exact reverse: a simple red cross on an all white background. That Swiss flag cross is called the Swiss cross or the federal cross. The red in the Swiss flag is called Pantone 485C, regulated by law for printed materials.

Answer: Schwyz

Most every flag of the world's nations are rectangular. A very few, however, are not rectangles. The flag of Switzerland for instance, is square-shaped. Their 1848 constitution officially recognized that a square red flag with a white cross was flown by the army and then on December 12, 1889, the same design and shape was legally established for the national flag. The source of the national flag was derived from the canton of Schwyz which was one of the original three-canton Swiss Confederacy. Other cantons would join later. The coat of arms of Schwyz was a red field with a white cross on.

Nimischellen, Osnaburg and Massillon are not cantons of Switzerland; they are towns surrounding Canton, Ohio, home of the NFL's Hall of Fame.

Answer: Swiss-owned ships in the commercial private sector

Dating back to World War II, ships owned by Swiss companies and industries had rectangular flags. The proportion was designated to be in a 2:3 ratio, as opposed to the square national flag of Switzerland. The dimensions were mandated in the Navigation Act of 1953.

Answer: International Olympic Committee

During opening ceremonies of the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), headquartered in Lausanne which is ironic since Lausanne is the capital city of the Vaud canton in Switzerland. A spokesman for the IOC said that the Committee decided that beginning with the 2004 Games in Athens, "all flags would have the same rectangular format" so that no flag would "stand out because of its format; this would go against the Olympic spirit, which seeks equality and respect among all nations". Nepal however, has been the exception, due to its very uniquely different shape.

Answer: Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars from 1803 to 1815 saw France battling various European nations. France had invaded Switzerland in 1798, which led to England's alarm over France's aggression. France's invasion imposed a national flag on the Swiss that was green, red, and yellow flag.

As early as in 1339 the white cross symbol had been used by Swiss cantons in the past, to identify Swiss mercenaries to each other, but it gave way to that green, red and yellow flag under Napoleon I. However, by the mid-19th century the white cross symbol on a red field was nationalized by their government. All the other wars listed came after the flag was recognized.

Answer: flag tossing

Originating back in medieval times, Fahnenschwingen is an old tradition in Switzerland and it involves the tossing and twirling and waving of the flag. There are about 99 specific flag twisting and tossing maneuvers that the competitors master. Dating back to medieval times, this sport requires skilled athletes to master some 99 different twists and tosses. You can watch these events at various folk festivals such as the Jodlerfest Lachen at which one can also observe competitions in yodeling, alphorn blowing, Ländler music dancing characterized by partners hopping and stomping.

Answer: First woman to bear the Swiss flag in Olympic opening ceremony

Marie-Theres Nadig became the first woman to ever carry the Swiss flag during an Olympic opening ceremony. She was an alpine skiing athlete and for the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, New York, she was Switzerland's representative for their Olympic team, and as such carried the flag into the stadium.

At the 1972 Games, she had won two gold medals and was thusly a beloved Swiss athlete. Perhaps inspired, she would medal again in 1980 with a bronze downhill race medal. Women would continue the tradition of bearing Switzerland's flag at the following Olympics in 1984, 1988, and 1992.

Answer: August 1

January 2nd, is Swiss Cheese Day; June 12, 1897 is the day the Swiss Army knife was patented; and July 28 is National Milk Chocolate Day, which was invented by the Swiss.

Along with flying the Swiss flag from buildings and homes, the Swiss flag design and the coat of arms (which is pretty much identical looking to the flag) are worn on clothes. August 1 is Swiss National Day because the Swiss Confederacy was founded that date in 1291. Every Swiss National Day, a gigantic Swiss flag is draped over and displayed in the Alpstein region on Mount Säntis.

Answer: The Matterhorn

The iconic Matterhorn mountain in the Pennine Alps, has been one of the world's most popular attractions for mountain climbers ever since the 19th century. Light artist Gerry Hofstetter has actually projected many of the flags of the world onto the Matterhorn, along with other images on other things such as The Titanic, on a giant iceberg.

Answer: The Big Bang Theory

Mayim Bialik plays Amy and Jim Parsons plays Sheldon on the TV sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." One of the running gags in many of the episodes features the two of them explain their love of vexillology by setting up a camera and talking about flags, usually accompanied with charts behind them and prop flags.

Although these two are geniuses, they did make an error in referring to the square-shaped Swiss flag as one of the only "non-rectangular" flags of the nations. The problem however is that a square is indeed a rectangle. All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. Both shapes are made of four line segments forming 90 degree angles, enclosing the shape.

However, in a square, all the line segments are of equal length, whereas in a rectangle the line segments aren't necessarily equal in length.

In a rectangle, both pairs of the two line segments opposite each other are of equal length.