Great Britain

Capital:London

Population:63,705,000

Total area:242,900 km2

Flag of the United Kingdom - also known to the British as a Union Jack, has been used since 1603 when the Scottish King James VI became the king of England. The symbolism of the flag expresses the linkage between England, Scotland, and Wales. The central theme is a red cross of St. George, who is considered to be the patron of England. The cross is fringed by wider white cross and everything is set in a blue background. The white diagonal cross should remind of St. Andrew, the patron of Scotland. Ireland is represented by a red diagonal cross, which is the symbol of the Irish patron St. Patrick. The Irish cross has not been added until 1801, when Ireland became a member of the United Kingdom. Union Jack motif can be found on many flags as a reminder of Britain's past as a colonial power.

Canada

Capital:Ottawa
Population:35,295,770
Total area:9,970,610 km2
The current Canadian flag was raised up in 1965 for the first time. Its author was Dr. George Stanley, who intended to capture several important elements of Canadian history. The central theme of the flag is a maple leaf, which refers to the indigenous population that has been using the maple sap for centuries, and which still is a traditional Canadian product. Maple leaf became a symbol of Canadian athletes in the 20th century and also a symbol of Canadian soldiers in both world wars. Red leaf is placed on a white background and the flag is lined with two vertical red stripes. Red and white are referring to historical ties to the UK – it was red and white flag with the St. George's cross which was erected by John Cabot on Canadian soil in 1497.

The United States of America

Capital:Washington, District of Columbia
Population:317,706,000
Total area:9,629,090 km2
The flag of the United States was mentioned for the first time in 1777. Its author was probably Congressman Francis Hopkinson, who took an inspiration from the flag of Sons of Liberty - a group of activists protesting against the introduction of English customs in the American colonies. The thirteen stripes should symbolize the first colonies involved in these fights, originally together with thirteen stars arranged in the circle. The current form of the flag, which was adopted in 1912, kept thirteen stripes indicating the first member states. However, the number of stars increased with accession of new members from 13 to 50. The last star was added in 1960, when Hawaii officially became a part of the US.

France

Capital:Paris
Population:65,844,000
Total area:551,500 km2
The traditional French red-blue-white tricolor became a symbol of freedom during the French Revolution in the late 18th century. These colors were decorating roundels of revolutionists and the tricolor was carried in 1789 during the conquest of the Bastille, when political prisoners held by the old regime were freed. This day is considered to be the beginning of the French Revolution, and the tricolor remained in the minds of Frenchmen associated with the creation of modern French Republic. All three stripes on the flag are displayed vertically and have the same width. The blue stripe is located on the left side of the flag, white in the middle, and the red one on the right side.

Germany

Capital:Berlin
Population:80,619,000
Total area:357,022 km2
The black-red-yellow tricolor of the current German flag experienced remarkable development hand in hand with historical events. In the mid-19th century, these colors symbolized efforts to unify the German states. In 1919, the tricolor became the official flag of the Weimar Republic. However, when Hitler took the power in 1933, it was abolished and replaced by Nazi swastika. Shortly after the defeat in the World War II, the tricolor was re-adopted as the flag of modern Germany. The flag of East Germany differed a little bit by a symbol of communism in its middle. However, it was withdrawn after the unification of these two countries and the role of the national flag of the united Germany was overtaken by the flag of the German Federal Republic.

China

Capital:Beijing
Population:1,363,350,000
Total area:9,640,820 km2
The flag of People Republic of China was adopted in 1949, when Mao Zedong founded the Republic. The dominant color of the flag is red, which is Chinese traditional color and also is characteristic of communism and revolutionary moods. In the left part of the flag, we can find one large and four small stars, whose symbolism can be interpreted in many different ways. One theory says that the large star represents the Communist Party and the small stars stand for four social classes in China - workers, farmers, entrepreneurs, and capitalists. Another explanation agrees on the big star, but insists that the small stars symbolize the four smaller parties that were allowed in China. According to others, the stars may symbolize the five largest ethnic groups in the country.