Welcome to Flagship!
This game challenges players to identify country flags from multiple choice options within a 90-second time limit.
This game challenges players to identify country flags from multiple choice options within a 90-second time limit.
Vexillology is the scientific study of flags and related emblems. It is concerned with research into flags of all kinds, both modern and historical, the creation of a body of practice for flag design and usage, and of a body of theory of flag development. Vexillology seeks to understand and explain the important part played by flags in the modern world.
Vexillology as a word is derived from the Latin vexillum, a term used by the Romans to refer to a kind of standard with a fabric hung from a horizontal crossbar on a pole. It is the nearest equivalent in the classical languages to what we call a flag today.
The colors of a flag can have symbolic meanings and reference a country's history. For example, the American flag's red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white represents purity and innocence, and blue stands for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Red can also represent bad things, like blood lost in battle, while blue can symbolize peace and freedom.
The current American flag design was created by Robert G. Heft, a 17-year-old high school student from Lancaster, Ohio, who won a contest in 1958. President Dwight Eisenhower chose Heft's design from over 1,500 submissions, and it's the only flag to have lasted more than 50 years. However, there's no official proof that Betsy Ross created the first American flag in 1776, as her family's story didn't come forward until almost a century later.
When a flag is no longer fit to display, such as when it's tattered or discolored, it should be retired in a dignified way. This can be done by burning, recycling, or burying it. Military veteran organizations and the Boy Scouts of America burn thousands of US flags each year.
According to Guinness World Records the largest flag ever made was a Romanian national flag that measured 349 x 227 metres (1,145 x 744.5ft) – about three times the size of a football field.
It weighed 5-tons and consisted of 44 miles of thread and was unfurled 22 miles South-East of Bucharest.
It took 200 people several hours to unfurl it.
Every country’s flag is – to a certain extent – quadrilateral in shape (whether it is a rectangle or a square) with only one exception – Nepal.
It is shaped like two stacked triangles, representing the Himalaya Mountains and – more recently – the two religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The sun and moon represent the hope that the country will live as long as these celestial bodies.
There are only two countries with square flags: Switzerland and Vatican City.