NorthStar Flags

Hawkeye State is the official name of Iowa, though it is also known as “the tall corn state.” A state located in the Mid-western region of the United States of America, it was named after the Ioway people of the Siouan tribe of Native Americans, the original settlers of the locality. It is the 29th state of the Union having joined on December 28, 1848.

As a state it has its own emblem, the State Flag of Iowa composed of three vertical stripes of blue, white and red, a reflection of the state’s history having been a part of the French Louisiana Territory. The central white stripe is wider and the design is symmetrical, a design arrangement that classifies the state flag as a Canadian pale.

An image of the bald eagle is placed at the center of the white stripe that carries a long ribbon with the inscription “our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain,” a phrase taken from the state seal. While the word Iowa is placed directly in red, just below the image of the bald eagle. The official emblem was first approved in May 1917 based on the design of Mrs. Dixie Cornell Derhardt and was adopted in 1921.

The Mississippi river forms the eastern boundary and separates the state from Illinois and Wisconsin, while the west edge of the river borders Nebraska. On the northwest corner is the
Big Sioux River, and forms part of the north/south boundary of the state with South Dakota.

92% of the present heartland of Iowa is blessed with fine fertile soil and is devoted solely to corn and soybean production, of which it topped the nations demand for this staple grain.

The “People of Han” as what ethnic Chinese refer to themselves, constitute 92% of the country’s population. For several centuries China is at the forefront of civilization, leading the world in the field of arts and sciences but had experienced civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation in the 19th and early 20th century.

Then the communists took over and under Mao Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that assures China’s sovereignty, but imposed strict controls over everyday life that costs the lives of over ten million people. After 1978 though, successive leaders focused instead on the market-oriented economic development, thus by the year 2000 the climate had appreciated considerably and revenue output had quadrupled.

For most of the over 1.5 billion people, living standards have improved significantly and personal choice had expanded, yet political rights remain thwarted. Despite the limited access granted to the people, they remained committed to the China National flag.

A custom flag that is red with one large and four smaller five pointed star and appears in a vertical arc towards the middle of the flag, right in the upper hoist side corner. The flag was formally unveiled in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on October 1, 1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Red in the flag symbolizes the blood of the heroes; yellow is for the glorious history and culture of the Chinese people and also refers to the brightness of the communist future. In a more historical interpretation, the four smaller stars represent the traditional social divisions of the workers, the farmers, the intellectuals, and the businessmen. The biggest star refers to the Chinese Communist Party, which claims to be the leader of all.

The Qizilqum Desert in Uzbekistan eats up at least 80% of the nation and citizens inhabit the remaining 20% of the land. Population density is so high it is still classified as the most populous in Central Asia. Northeast and southeast of the country are all mountain ranges with the Fergana Valley as the most fertile region, and on it sits various cities and industries.

The majority of the population is of ethnic Uzbeks and of Turkic descent are deeply rooted in the Sunni Muslim faith. The rural areas are home to most of the population, where cotton crops grow making Uzbekistan one of the world’s top five producers.

Even as topnotch producer of cotton, Uzbekistan’s economic growth and living standards are among the lowest of the countries of the former USSR. Even the presence of the largest open-pit gold mine in Muruntau in the Qizilqum Desert (geologist claim as the Earth’s largest gold deposit) may not be enough to raise the economic barometer of the country.

However some quarters claim that Uzbekistan’s economic woes comes from a smoldering government control, since being authoritarian it imposes rigid economic and severe laws to counter the threat posed by Islamic groups.

Out of this malady, the National Flag of Uzbekistan flew proud as it was officially approved at the Seventh Extraordinary Session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan on November 18, 1991. Blue in the flag represents the Turkic influence of the Uzbek people, white symbolizes holy peace, green is allied with the nature of Islam, and the red stripes represents the power of life.

The inclusion of the crescent has historical and religious undertones; the 12 stars represent spiritual and divine symbols, particularly the development of Islamic astronomy and scientific thoughts.

The homeland of the Turkmen is the desert nation Turkmenistan it has the lowest population density among the countries in Central Asia. A former republic of the USSR it gained independence in 1991.

It is only after its independence that the Turkmenistan flag came out, but it was born with a bang as it was described as the most detailed national flag in the world. It features a green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side that contains five carpet guls (designs used in rugs) placed above two crossed olive branches, similar to the one used on the United Nations flag.

In the upper corner of the green field just after the red stripe, a white waxing crescent moon (a Turkic symbol) and a white five pointed star is added, as a symbol for the hope and shining future of the country and the star represents the five provinces. The red and green color had been with the Turkmen for centuries. The five traditional carpet design represents the five major tribes or houses that are incorporated as motif in the country’s flag.

The addition of the wreath on the red stripe broke the carpet pattern as it was made a symbol of permanent neutrality, which was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 12, 1995.

Turkmenistan is rich in hydrocarbon and natural gas and could be a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery could be expanded and harnessed to its full potential. For the moment, the government is looking for alternative petroleum transportation routes, in hopes of breaking Russia’s pipeline monopoly.

Tajikistan was once a part of the USSR and is formerly referred to as the “Tadzhik SSR” and the last republic to reveal the design of a new flag. The current National Flag of Tajikistan consists of three horizontal stripes of red, white, and green, a direct association to the flag of Iran, although red and green are reversed. The choice of the colors may have reference to Tajikistan’s highly visible Persian culture.

The white stripe at the center, which is one and a half times the width of the red and green stripes, has a crown emblem surrounded by seven stars. The red tint represents the unity of the nation, white is for the country’s cotton industry and the unity of the people, and green is suggestive of the nature of the country.

90% of the country is covered by mountain and the majority of the people inhabit the river and valleys. Over 65% of the population is ethnic Tajiks, while 25% is of the Uzbek stock and the rest are groupings of various minorities. At the break-up of the USSR, Tajikistan declared independence in 1991 and right after, civil war erupted between the Moscow-backed government and the Islam led opposition. The internal conflict lasted for seven years, until a peace agreement was signed in 1997.

The political turmoil of the 90’s left the nations economy depressed, and to survive marginally Tajikistan relies heavily on Russian assistance. Russian troops are stationed at the border as deterrent against the entry of weapons, drugs and Islamic extremists.

Tajikistan is blessed with sufficient water resources, and it is being harnessed to supply renewable energy to the country.

The Indus Valley civilization is one of the oldest in the world (dating back to as much as 5,000years) spread much of its influence to what is now Pakistan. Subsequent invasions by stronger and larger nations plagued the region, until the British took control of the state in the 18th century. In 1947 the British partitioned the region and granted autonomy to the Muslim state of Pakistan and the predominantly Hindu India.

Becoming independent, the Muslim state of Pakistan designed its own emblem, patterned after the original flag of the Muslim League, and became official on August 11, 1947 just days before its independence. The Pakistan flag is referred to in the national anthem as Parchara-e-Sitara-o-Hilal or literally the flag of the crescent and star.

The flag has vertical white stripe at the hoist and dark green at the fly. The dark green field represents the Muslim majority in Pakistan, while the white stripe is for the religious minorities. In the center of the flag is a white crescent moon that symbolizes progress, and a white five pointed star that is for light and knowledge.

Further the flag is a direct symbol for Pakistan’s commitment to Islam, the Islamic world, and the rights of religious minorities.

Pakistan sits on the northwest of South Asia, the Indus River and its tributaries lies on the south and east of the country, while west is arid and mountainous. The North of the Country is dominated by great mountain, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, including the K2, the world’s second highest peak after Mount Everest at 28,250feet.

Owing to its terrain, most of the Pakistani’s live along the banks of the great Indus River.

The soyombo and the tajitu are not normally heard words or maybe out of this world, but the fact is, these are part of the national emblem of Mongolia. Soyombo, describes the columnar preparation made on the abstract and geometric depiction of the elements fire, sun, moon, earth, water; while the tajitu is more popular as the yin-yang symbol.

These national symbols are found in the National Flag of Mongolia, being at the center of the red band at the hoist side and shown in yellow. The flag has three equal vertical bands of blue flanked by two red bands on both sides, similar to the flag of 1949, except that the socialist star had been omitted. The flag became official or legal on February 12, 1992.

Mongolia is one of the highest countries in the world, with elevation reaching an average of 1,580meters, contains mountains and plateaus. It is located sandwiched between two larger countries – Russia and China. Owing to its geographical setting, Mongolia experiences temperature extremes. The Gobi Desert dominates the southern part of Mongolia.

The Mongol horsemen of Genghis Khan conquered most of Asia and Europe during the 13th century, a testament to the far-reaching influence of this heady race. Mongolia became a communist country in 1924, but evolved democratically as multi-party elections were held in 1990. Poverty still haunts country wide as agriculture production cannot sustain the needs of the population, and is a major concern for the new government.

The economy for the moment relies heavily on the export of copper, livestock, animal products, wool, hides, cashmere, and gold to keep the standard of living tolerable.

The Kyrgyzstan National Flag is a red field with a striking yellow sun at the center that radiates forty rays and that it represents the forty Kyrgyz tribes. Or in some interpretations it suggests the forty warriors of the mythical hero Manas.

In detail, the center of the sun had a red ring with crossed two sets of three lines, a visual representation of the crown or tunduk (a traditional Kyrgyz yurt), and a familiar symbol shown in the various rendition of Kyrgyz Architecture. The red of the flag represents peace and openness of the nation.

Geographically, Kyrgyzstan is a rugged mountainous country that covers some 75% of the land. The nomadic Kyrgyz, Turkic-speaking tribes with close ties to Islam inhabit the high places and bred horses, cattle and yaks for centuries. Most of the citizen’s standard of living is measured by the amount of horses and livestock in possession, considering that these animals are essential in the rugged terrain.

A nation in central Asia shares border with China and was under the reign of the Tsar of Russia during the 19th century, which brought in thousands of Slavic farmers to the region. Although the Krygyz make up over 66% of the population, there is a large concentration of Uzbeks and some Russian minority that calls the country home.

The country gained independence in 1991, raising livestock continues to dictate the agricultural based economy today. While revenues could also be attributed to the industry like small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs and as well as exports that covers cotton, wool, meat, tobacco, gold, mercury, uranium and also natural gas.

Even if Kazakhstan had been an independent republic, Russia still has to maintain close ties because it is the site of major Soviet Projects. In a way Russia cannot exist without Kazakhstan in tow simply because the Baikonur Cosmodrome is here, the main arena of Russian space launches and the world’s oldest and largest spaceport; the Semipalatinsk Polygon is also here the USSR’s nuclear weapons testing site where 456 nuclear blasts were recorded from 1949 to 1989.

In fact the Semipalatinsk Polygon is now a highly radioactive range and the new Kazakh government has to close it in 1991.

Since its independence, a new Kazakhstan flag flew, a rectangular piece in blue with an image of the sun at the center surrounded by thirty-two beams, with a steppe eagle flying beneath. And near the hoist a national ornament is placed on the vertical strip, all images except the strip are in gold.

The design of the flag is tied to the art and cultural traditions of the old khanate and Kazakh people. Light blue stands for the various Turkic (Tatars, Mongols, Uyghurs and others) people that compose the present-day population. Besides, blue has a religious significance particularly Gok-Tanry, the sky god, while at the same time it also represent water, as well as a symbol for the cultural and ethnic unity of the Kazakhstani people.

The sun on the flag represents the source of life and energy; also as a symbol of wealth and abundance; and the sun’s rays are interpreted as like grains which is the foundation of abundance and prosperity. The golden eagle had been with the people for centuries, a symbol associated with the power of the state, independence, freedom and the future.

The Hoosiers, the name residents of Indiana are known, though probably coined after the states strong basketball tradition, its origin is somewhat vague. Nationally, Indiana is known for its sports teams; the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, champions of the XLI Super Bowl; or who would forget Reggie Miller of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers; and last but not least is the Indianapolis 500 motor sports race, the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

The capital Indianapolis had been planned like the spokes of a wheel, with the Monument Circle as the core from which streets and interstate superhighways radiate out like spokes of the wheel, a fitting tribute to the world’s greatest auto race spectacle – the Indy 500. The massive development of Indianapolis has eaten up thousand of arable land to house manufacturing plants that churn out the bulk of the state revenues.

In the process, manufacturing employs one out of four workers, particularly Gary and Hammond that anchors one of the world’s great industrial regions.

Indiana literally is known as “Indian Land” or “Land of the Indians” had an official Flag of Indiana adopted on May 31, 1917, it was the first state flag and had remained so until a statute was created to standardize the production of the emblem.

In a field of blue, the flag have a gold torch at the center, representing liberty and enlightenment; the rays that radiate around the torch delve into its far-reaching influence. The inner five stars are for the subsequent five states added to the union; while the thirteen outside circle of stars are for the original members of the union. And one large star right above the torch represents Indiana.