Symbols of the countries of the world: description

What is a symbol? Translated from Greek, this word means a sign, a sign inherent in something specific. But not everything that surrounds a person is symbolic. Falling snow is a sign of winter, and drops from roofs mean the approach of spring. But these phenomena are not symbols. The latter carry a deeper, more philosophical meaning.

We all know perfectly well that the dove is a symbol of the world, and a pair of white swans symbolizes love and faithfulness. Different countries also have their signs and signs. They are official and unofficial. The official symbols include the state emblem, the coat of arms, the flag and the anthem. When did they first appear? What do they mean?

What are the plant-symbols of the countries of the world? What did the first flags do and what was depicted on the first Russian coat of arms? Next, consider the most interesting and unusual symbols of countries and cities in the world. But first - a short digression into the story.

The distant past

One of the important symbols that underline the uniqueness of the country is the coat of arms. He appeared the very first of the other official signs. Slavs, who lived in the VI-VIII centuries. AD, with the help of various ornaments, isolated individual territories. The prototype of the oldest coat of arms can be considered a seal depicting a falcon. Such belonged to the great Russian princes. Any document was certified by the seal, so that any person, even uneducated, could appreciate the importance of such a paper.

The first Russian coat of arms was a coin depicting St. George the Victorious. In the middle of the 15th century a two-headed eagle appeared. His image was present on the royal seal and on the coin.

Shest, banners, banners, flags

At all times, people used to communicate with the symbols, thanks to them the belonging to a particular tribe-tribe was indicated. The Roman legionaries, when they were on hikes, carried a pole with a pendant. They could be painted with images of gods, various symbols. With their help, soldiers during the battle could determine where the enemy's army is.

The first flags appeared in China and Egypt, their history thus totals about 3000 years. They became the identification marks of troops, territories, and then states. They were called in different ways: the standard, the banner, the manipulus, the banner. The performance of troops, combat battles, military parade, oath - all these events can not be imagined without the use of such symbols. Banners could be decorated with fringe, ribbons, brushes. They could have different inscriptions, mottos. To carry a banner in battle was considered very honorable, and to lose it meant to say goodbye to honor and with your life.

Types of flags of Russia

In Russia, the first banners appeared in the 10th century. On the panel most often depicted the Savior Not Made by Hands.

The national flag appeared at the end of the 17th century, during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. On a huge cloth cloth were three strips of white, red and blue, and in the middle - the image of a two-headed eagle. Subsequently, under this flag commercial vessels start to go, trade with foreign countries is conducted.

St. Andrew's flag. A blue cross is depicted on the white cloth of the cloth. Under this banner ships went. He appeared in the late 17th century and began to be considered a flag of the Russian fleet. Later, three colors appeared. White - belonged to the ships of the admiral, blue - vice-admiral, and red - Rear Admiral. In 1992, the Andreevsky flag was returned to its status, and now the white cloth with a blue cross represents the strength and power of the Russian fleet.

In 1858 the royal standard appeared. A black eagle was depicted on a yellow background. He was raised in the places of the king.

After the October Revolution, the Red Banner of the RSFSR appeared. It depicted a sickle, a hammer, a red star.

Since 1993, the flag of Russia has become such as we all know it. Three identical stripes of different colors: white, blue, red.

Flags of the countries of the world

In total there are about 250 of them. Each of them is unique. Knowing the information about the color symbols of the flag, you can tell a lot about the country. In ancient times, the most popular colors were white, black and red. What do some colors of flags say?

• White - purity of thoughts, innocence, truthfulness.
• Black is sadness, wisdom, modesty.
• Red - courage, strength, revolutionary.
• Blue - the sea, peace, greatness.
• Green - in Muslim countries is considered the color of Islam.

Symbols of different countries of the world may have different meanings.

The most interesting flags

National symbols of the countries of the world are sometimes very unusual. Take, for example, flags. All of them have the form of a rectangle, on which symbols of different countries of the world are depicted. But there are exceptions. We bring to your attention the most interesting of them in form and content.

• The shape of the flag of Nepal is pentagonal. But many people call it "polozelka." In the upper part of the flag is a picture of the sun, and in the lower part of the moon. The combination of these symbols indicates that the country will live and prosper forever, as these heavenly lights are eternal.
• The flag of Switzerland has the form of a square. On the red cloth a large white cross is drawn. The flag of the International Committee of the Red Cross is its descendant, only in this case the cross is red, and the fabric is white.
• The Vatican's flag is also square. The basis is two identical bands of yellow and white, the last one shows the coat of arms of the country - two keys from Paradise and Rome, and above them - the papal tiara.
• The flag of Portugal depicts an astronomical device. It is a symbol of the country's geographical discoveries.
• The temple of Angkor Wat is depicted on the flag of Cambodia. This is also a kind of sign of uniqueness, because usually the symbols of the countries of the world do not contain images of religious buildings.
• The modern weapon of Russia - the Kalashnikov assault rifle - adorns the flag of Mozambique. There are no such paintings anywhere else.
• The coat of arms depicting the chess board is Croatia. On the red, white and blue stripes of the flag we can see the favorite symbol of chess players of all countries of the world.
• The outlines of Cyprus can be seen not only on geographical maps, but also on the white cloth of the same state.
• A beautiful spectacle of the starry sky appears before our eyes on the flag of Brazil. All this, of course, did not fit, only a part: 27 stars, according to the number of states in the country.
• In the Norwegian flag, nothing unusual, at first glance, no. But this is a deceptive impression. Part of this flag painted ... child.
• The state of Libya does not use any signs on its cloth. The flag of green color embodies the state religion of the country - Islam.

History of the emblem

Symbols of the countries of the world have a rich history, rooted in antiquity. The tradition of creating a coat of arms begins with totems. This word means "race." The first totems were used by the Indians. Each tribe chose an animal or plant, the image of which was applied to the fabric, personal items, sometimes even to the human body. By these signs it was possible to determine belonging to a particular tribe.

Crusades and knights fights in Western Europe contributed to the wide distribution of arms. They acted primarily as identification marks. In one of the poems of Samuel Yakovlevich Marshak there are such lines:

Such a custom was ancient, -
So that with the state arms
I threatened my neighbors with a beastly face
A grin of all his teeth.

On the first coat of arms of Russia, too, was depicted a bird of prey - a two-headed eagle. This image and now it is present.

Animals on the arms of the world

Since ancient times, people treated them with great respect. The animals worshiped, they were worshiped. Images were present on dishes, clothes, weapons. It was believed that they bring good luck, well-being.

Animals-symbols of the countries of the world are quite diverse:

• Leo - this image is one of the oldest and most popular. Personalizes strength, fearlessness, dexterity. The symbol can be found on the arms of Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Bulgaria, India and others.
• Kangaroo - dwells in Australia, therefore takes an honorable place on the arms of this country. Symbolizes going forward, as these animals do not jump backwards.
• The image of the cow is on the coat of arms of Andorra.
• Leopard symbolizes perseverance, courage, courage. Benin can be seen on the arms of the country. Here you can read the motto of this country: "Brotherhood, Justice, Labor."
• Antelope is present on the arms of the state of Zimbabwe.

Symbols of the countries of the world can be expressed not only with the help of animals. On some coats of arms there are images of plants, objects, phenomena of nature, fruits.

Flowers-symbols of the countries of the world

The world of plants is amazing and wonderful. Each country, as a rule, has its own flower. Its image is present even on some arms:

• Great Britain - rose, clover and thistle.
• Mexico, Malta - cactus.
• Guyana is a water lily.
• Antigua and Barbuda - red hibiscus.

Similar symbols of the countries of the world (plants and trees) can be found on the arms.

• Peru is a laurel branch.
• The Bahamas , Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and many other countries are palm trees.
• Australia - eucalyptus.
• Jamaica, Antigua, Barbuda - pineapple.
• Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Turkmenistan - grapes.

The most exotic emblem of the world

The state of Dominica is on an island in the Caribbean Sea. The arms of this country are called the most exotic. Judge for yourself. A blue-yellow shield holds two parrots to the sysser. Above them is the image of a roaring lion. The shield is divided into four parts.

In each of them is a certain symbol.

• A boat with a sail - points to the position in the Caribbean Sea.
• Banana is one of the main agricultural crops of the country.
• Coconut palm on the island - symbolizes the highest point - the extinct volcano Dyabloten, 1447 m).
• The Dominican mountain frog is an endemic animal that occurs only on the islands of Dominica and Montserrat.

At the bottom of the emblem is a ribbon with the motto of the country: "After God (the main thing) is the earth."

Interesting facts about hymns

1. The main solemn song of the Russian Empire "God save the Tsar!" And "God save the Queen!" Great Britain were very similar. The fact is that the words of the Russian anthem were put on the music of the British. Only after more than ten years another version was written. This time the music was a Russian composer.
2. The longest anthem in the world is Greek. Officially it consists of only two verses, but when it was written, there were more than a hundred verses. A short version sounds at the opening and closing of the Olympic Games.
3. The hymn of Armenia is written on the basis of the poem "The Song of an Italian Girl".
4. At one of the international tournaments, the first place was taken by an athlete from Kazakhstan. At the awarding instead of a hymn a song from the film was sounded, since it was she who left the search engine next to the real anthem of Kazakhstan.
5. During the Great Patriotic War, Nazis broke into the Philharmonic Hall in Norway. They were going to grab one of the violinists, who was of Jewish nationality. The musicians began to sing the hymn of Norway, and this gave him the opportunity to hide.

Unofficial symbols that represent different countries

In addition to official symbols, each state has its own distinctive signs and signs. Among them are artistic symbols of the countries of the world. Let us recall the most famous:

• In Russia - samovar, birch, Red Square, the Kremlin.
• In the United States of America is the Statue of Liberty.
• In Great Britain - Big Ben.
• In France - the Eiffel Tower.
• In Japan it is sakura.
• In Egypt there are pyramids.

In addition, there are animal symbols of the countries of the world. Some of them:

• Australia is a kangaroo.
• Great Britain is a lion.
• Russia is a brown bear.
• Holland is a cow.
• India is a tiger.
• China is a panda.
• Canada - beaver.
• Mongolia is a horse.
• Thailand is an elephant.
• New Zealand is a kiwi bird.
• Germany is an eagle.

State symbols of the countries of the world and other signs underscore the uniqueness of each state. Respecting the traditions and customs of other nations, it is necessary to know their symbols.