United Kingdom
blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron
saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red
cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is
superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron
saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly
called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue
Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including
other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or
provinces, and British overseas territories
United States
13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom)
alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper
hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars
arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and
bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent
the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies;
the blue stands for loyalty, devotion, truth, justice, and
friendship; red symbolizes courage, zeal, and fervency, while white
denotes purity and rectitude of conduct; commonly referred to by its
nickname of Old Glory
note: the design and colors have been the basis for a number of
other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
the flag of the US is
used
Uruguay
nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom)
alternating with blue; a white square in the upper hoist-side corner
with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May with
16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy; the stripes
represent the nine original departments of Uruguay; the sun symbol
evokes the legend of the sun breaking through the clouds on 25 May
1810 as independence was first declared from Spain (Uruguay
subsequently won its independence from Brazil)
note: the banner was inspired by the national colors of Argentina
and by the design of the US flag
Uzbekistan
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and
green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon
(closed side to the hoist) and 12 white stars shifted to the hoist
on the top band; blue is the color of the Turkic peoples and of the
sky, white signifies peace and the striving for purity in thoughts
and deeds, while green represents nature and is the color of Islam;
the red stripes are the vital force of all living organisms that
links good and pure ideas with the eternal sky and with deeds on
earth; the crescent represents Islam and the 12 stars the months and
constellations of the Uzbek calendar
Vanuatu
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a
black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by
a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two
points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle);
centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed
namele fern fronds, all in yellow; red represents the blood of boars
and men, green the richness of the islands, and black the ni-Vanuatu
people; the yellow Y-shape - which reflects the pattern of the
islands in the Pacific Ocean - symbolizes the light of the Gospel
spreading through the islands; the boar's tusk is a symbol of
prosperity frequently worn as a pendant on the islands; the fern
fronds represent peace
Venezuela
three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and
red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and
an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band;
the flag retains the three equal horizontal bands and three main
colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the South American republic
that broke up in 1830; yellow is interpreted as standing for the
riches of the land, blue for the courage of its people, and red for
the blood shed in attaining independence; the seven stars on the
original flag represented the seven provinces in Venezuela that
united in the war of independence; in 2006, President Hugo CHAVEZ
ordered an eighth star added to the star arc - a decision that
sparked much controversy
Vietnam
red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the
center; red symbolizes revolution and blood, the five-pointed star
represents the five elements of the populace - peasants, workers,
intellectuals, traders, and soldiers - that unite to build socialism
Virgin Islands
white field with a modified US coat of arms in the
center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms
shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in its right talon and
three arrows in the left with a superimposed shield of seven red and
six white vertical stripes below a blue panel; white is a symbol of
purity, the letters stand for the Virgin Islands
Wake Island
the flag of the US is used