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A Guide to Flags From Around the World |
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Written by Colleen Coughlin
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Wednesday, 08 July 2009 |
Colleen is a staff member at the Mission Office. She is the Website Editor and the Coordinator for the Holy Childhood Association.
 For anyone who likes history, international relations, and the study of flags, I have a recommendation for a great book – “The Directory of Flags: A Guide to Flags From Around the World” by Charlotte Greig. I recently started reading this book, and it’s turning out to be quite a helpful little directory to have on hand! The back cover reads, “For thousands of years, flags have been used to identify countries and cultures, people and places. Today, the flags of the world can provide a key to discovering each country’s national identity and history in the international community. By turning the pages of this directory, you will be taken on an enlightening journey across the globe.” Each section of the book is dedicated to a different area of the world, taking us through the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania – thus allowing us to discover the history, background, meanings, colors, and religious undertones of all the flags of the world!
Here at the Mission Office, we are lucky to meet so many wonderful missionaries from around the world. I have often wondered what their lives are like back home, but I had never thought about their country’s flag before – or realized that knowing the meaning behind the flag could help me to better understand the history, background, and culture of their country.
Recently, I met three missionaries, each from a different part of the world. Fr. Roger McCarrick is from Ireland but works in Fiji, Fr. Emanuel Kawanguzi works in Uganda, and Sr. Anila Christy works in India. After speaking with each missionary and hearing about their lives and the work that they do, I decided to take a peek into my flag directory to learn a little more about each of their countries and, of course, their flags.
FIJI
 Fiji’s flag captures both its former status as a British colony and its current status as an independent nation. A miniature blue, red, and white flag of Britain is pictured on the left side of the flag, while Fiji’s coat of arms is pictured on the right side. The coat of arms is comprised of the cross of St. George within a shield, with a lion at the top holding a cocoa pod. Within the shield are images of stalks of sugar cane, a coconut palm, a white dove bearing an olive branch, and a bunch of bananas. (All indigenous plants of Fiji.) The light blue background of the entire flag symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, which surrounds Fiji. The flag was adopted in 1970, when Fiji gained independence.
UGANDA
 Uganda’s flag is black, yellow, and red. Black is said to symbolize the African people, yellow symbolizes the sun, and red symbolizes the brotherhood of races. In the center of the flag stands a red-crested crane (the national bird of Uganda), with black, yellow, and red feathers, representing both the colors and the progress of Uganda. Although there have been many political changes in Uganda since 1962 (when the three colors were chosen for the Ugandan People’s Congress, which came to power that year), the flag has remained unchanged.
INDIA
 India’s flag is orange, white, and green with a blue wheel in the center. Orange represents the Hindu faith, green represents Islam, and the white band in the middle represents the hope that the country, and these two faiths, can come together and live in peace and unity. The blue wheel in the center of the flag, called a “chakra” or “wheel of law”, is the symbol of the first Buddhist emperor, Ashoka. The “chakra” was added to the flag in 1947, when India gained independence. It replaced a different wheel that had previously been on the flag – the spinning wheel of Mahatma Gandhi, which symbolized India’s economic self-sufficiency.
These three descriptions give a glimpse not only into the flag directory, but also into the backgrounds and histories of the countries where our missionaries serve. “The Directory of Flags: A Guide to Flags From Around the World” makes learning about these countries and their flags fun and interesting, while still conveying important facts and information. For me, meeting the people from these different countries and then going on to learn a little more in the book, has helped me to gain a broader understanding and appreciation for the various countries and cultures of the world.
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Archdiocese of St. Louis: Mission Office
20 Archbishop May Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63119 • missions@archstl.org
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