Azerbaijan
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and
green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in
the red band; the blue band recalls Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage,
red stands for modernization and progress, and green refers to
Islam; the crescent moon is an Islamic symbol, while the
eight-pointed star represents the eight Turkic peoples of the world
Bahamas, The
three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold,
and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist
side; the band colors represent the golden beaches of the islands
surrounded by the aquamarine sea; black represents the vigor and
force of a united people, while the pointing triangle indicates the
enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop the
rich resources of land and sea
Bahrain
red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states,
with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side;
the five points represent the five pillars of Islam
note: until 2002 the flag had eight white points, but this was
reduced to five to avoid confusion with the Qatari flag
Bangladesh
green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the
hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the
sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the
lush vegetation of Bangladesh
Barbados
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and
blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the
band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of
the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break
with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete
trident)
Belarus
red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half
the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side
bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red; the red band color
recalls past struggles from oppression, the green band represents
hope and the many forests of the country
Belgium
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow,
and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France; the
colors are those of the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion
with red claws and tongue on a black field)
Belize
blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom
edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the
coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a
mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in
the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green
garland of 50 mahogany leaves; the colors are those of the two main
political parties: blue for the PUP and red for the UDP; various
elements of the coat of arms - the figures, the tools, the mahogany
tree, and the garland of leaves - recall the logging industry that
led to British settlement of Belize
note: Belize's flag is the only national flag that depicts human
beings; two British overseas territories, Montserrat and the British
Virgin Islands, also depict humans
Benin
two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom)
with a vertical green band on the hoist side; green symbolizes hope
and revival, yellow wealth, and red courage
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Bermuda
red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (a white shield with a red
lion standing on a green grassy field holding a scrolled shield
showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609)
centered on the outer half of the flag; it was the shipwreck of the
vessel, filled with English colonists originally bound for Virginia,
that led to settling of Bermuda
note: the flag is unusual in that it is only British overseas
territory that uses a red ensign, all others use blue