NorthStar Flags

What makes Kuwait popular? Well maybe it’s being small and very rich, as it literally floats in oil (oil to be around 10% of world reserves). And maybe because it was the only country invaded in this modern era by Iraq, but was eventually recaptured by a U.S. led, UN coalition forces. With the use of modern armaments of war, several weeks of torrid bombardment, and four days of ground assault was all enough to drive the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Kuwait had been the bastion of the Al-Sabah dynasty since 1899 and it was the British who stood for the defense of the kingdom until it was granted full independence in 1961. The invasion of Iraq on August 1990 and the eventual liberation on February 23, 1991 cost the Kuwaiti government 5billion dollars to repair oil infrastructure damaged during the war.

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with the Al-Sabah family as perpetual rulers, but since returning to power in 1991 it has followed the path of Parliamentary democracy. It had established an elected legislature that in recent years had become actively assertive, particularly on the directions the government is pursuing.

Like any independent state, the Kuwaiti National Flag is the primary emblem, of Pan-Arab colors with black symbolizing the defeat of the enemy, red is for the blood on the Kuwaiti swords, white is for purity and green represents the fertile land. The Iraqi custom flag used until 1959 may have influenced the black trapezium on the hoist side.

The country is flat and arid, but is rich in oil a commodity that makes it attractive to immigrants. The Kuwaiti Arabs only makes-up a third of the population while the rest are all immigrants.

The bear flag had been the official state symbol of California, and records would reveal that the first flag was flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt. That a version of the Bear Flag as it is popularly known was adopted by the state legislature and signed into law by the Governor, Hiram Johnson in 1911.

And today, the official modern California State Flag is a refined version, white with a wide red strip at the bottom. A red star is added in the upper left corner and a grizzly bear facing left towards the hoist and dead center on the state flag, walking on a patch of green grass. Sad to say that the California grizzly bear depicted on the flag has long been extinct.

Since the gold rush of 1848, California’s image has been one as a promised land. It has evolved as the most populous (one in eight Americans) among the states of the union. Almost half of the population is clustered around San Francisco and Los Angeles all egging for water.

Water had plagued residents of California and in 1940 the opening of the Colorado River Aqueduct eased the water shortage. The Central Valley Project, the state’s largest water transfer provided the greening of around 128,000 square kilometers in San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys, the home of migrant workers in quest of seasonal work.

Half of all Californian’s are immigrants or the siblings of immigrants, increasing the population between 1990 and 2000 to over 4.1 million. Owing to its vast concentration of residents, 90% of the state is now considered urban, dotted with residential zones and industrial parks engaged in the manufacture of high-tech equipment, in areas of biotechnology, aerospace defense, and computers.

The region of Transjordan is a semi-autonomous area of Palestine, carved out by the British in the 1920’s. It was managed by Great Britain, but was granted independence in 1946 and adopted Jordan as the new name of the state in 1950.

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy and was under long-time ruler King Hussein (1953-99) who successfully steered the country through pressures from super powers (US, USSR, and UK), from several Arab states, Israel, and from a large internal Palestinian population to weather wars and various coup attempts. A pragmatist in general the King re-instituted Parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization in 1989; and in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel.

The official state symbol is the Jordan flag, which consists of three equal horizontal bands of black, white, and green that are all connected by a red triangle on the hoist side. The colors on the horizontal bands represent the Abbasid, Umayyad and Fatimid Caliphates while the red triangle is for the Hashemite Dynasty and the Arab Revolt.

A seven-pointed star was added that distinguish it from the flag of Palestine, and it stands for the seven verses of the first surah in the Qur’an, and also for the unity of the Arab race. But some attributes the seven-pointed star on the red triangle to the seven hills on which the capital Amman was built.

The economy of Jordan is solely based on agriculture and phosphates and its entry into the World Trade Organization in 2000 could bring in needed revenues through reforms and increased trade. Though it lacks oil, Jordan aims to harness the full potential of its limited natural resources; and through cooperative agreements with neighbors in the development of renewable energy.

The history of the Jewish people according to Biblical accounts is one of persecution, intimidation, discrimination and loneliness being cast away from their homeland. But, such strengthened their resolve to return home and re-establish a homeland given by the one God as inheritance.

Thus, when Great Britain withdrew from Palestine after the Second World War, the United Nations partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states. Sadly the agreement was found not satisfactory with the Arabs, and a series of wars with its more powerful Arab neighbors ensued. But the Israeli’s are a breed by itself because they not only defeated their adversaries they annexed additional lands captured during the conflicts, while deep divisions between the two sides continues to this day.

For the moment, a ceasefire is in effect and a resolution of the age-old conflict might be in the books, but one thing is certain the Arabs will not want Jerusalem under the Israeli’s. Both sides need it, because of the Dome of the Rock the exact spot where Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven, but is likewise important for the Jews, as it was here that Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son.

The birth of Israel was not foretold in the Bible, but once they have established their foothold they fought for it. Out of this determination, the National Flag of Israel was adopted on October 28,1948 or five months after Israel was declared a country. The world flag had a blue Star of David at the center on a white background, in between two horizontal blue stripes.

The flag was actually designed for the Zionist Movement in 1891 and the concept is patterned after the Tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl that is white with blue stripes.

The strategic location of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, probably dictated its previous economic activity – pearl diving that abounds within the 33 islands of the country. Although since 1930, the oil industry has replaced pearl diving, Bahrain has emerged as a major communication and financial center.

It gained independence from Britain in 1971, but somehow it caused the rise of conflicts between the ruling Sunni tribe and the Shiite majority. Despite the rigid Islam adherence of its neighbors, Bahrain is far more liberal and the culture is distinctly different. A new constitution was drafted and adopted in 2002, which provided for an elected parliament and gave women encompassing rights as they were allowed to vote and stand as candidates during elections.

The new Bahrain National Flag is a direct reflection of the aspirations of the people to really blend with citizens worldwide. The national emblem had a white band on the left (the hoist side), separated from the red on the right side by five triangles that look like a serrated line. Red has been considered as the traditional colors of the emblem of the Persian Gulf states and the five points on the flag represent the five pillars of Islam.

Being small compared to its Persian Gulf neighbors, Bahrain must play a delicate balance in its foreign affairs deals, or it could be swallowed by any of the surrounding countries. As it faced declining oil reserves, it has diversified to petroleum processing and has metamorphosed itself into an international banking center.

The stability now experienced could be attributed to King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who in 1999 pushed for economic and political reforms to improve relations among the ethnic groups.

Persia as it was known, is a southwest Asian country characterized by mountains and deserts. The eastern portion is a high plateau with large salt flats and vast sand desert, while agriculture is largely concentrated in the narrow plains and valleys in the west or north where there is abundant rainfall. The huge oil reserves of Iran lies along the southwest, particularly along the Persian Gulf.

The history of Iran has been plagued with a perpetual pattern of autocratic rule extending back to Cyrus the Great in the sixth century. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who ruled in 1941, just extended this usual reign, but initiated social and economic reforms financed largely by petroleum exports. The westernization of Iran was viewed by opponents as tainting Islamic purity and cultural identity, thus when revolution broke out in 1978, the Shah fled.

Ayatollah Khomeini took over and imposed fundamentalist theocracy, and around 70,000 critics died in the process. The official state religion proclaimed is the Shiite branch of Islam. It is after the rise of Khomeini that the new National Flag of Iran came into being.

The current Iran flag had been designed by Hamid Nadimi and was personally approved by the Ayatollah on May 9, 1980, but was officially adopted on July 29 of the same year. The flag includes three horizontal bands of green, red, and white, symbolizes vigor, peace and courage, with an emblem at the center expressive of the Islamic Revolution.

The emblem is actually a stylist representation of the facet of Islamic life; Allah, the Book, the Sword, and the five principles of Islam. Kufic script used for the Qur’an also appears along the edges of the red and green stripes.

The inclusion of grapevines into the emblem describes the State Flag of Connecticut. On closer examination the state flag consists of a white shield with three grapevines and each bearing three bunches of purple grapes on a field of azure blue. While the state motto “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” (He who transplanted, sustains) is placed strategically below the shield. The Connecticut General Assembly approved the adoption of this flag in 1897.

The original design of the flag actually comes from the seal of Saybrook Colony, having been established in 1639. When the Connecticut Colony finally bought Saybrook in 1644, naturally the seal was included in the agreement. Then on October 25, 1711, the governor and legislature of Connecticut revised the design of the seal, reducing the number of grapevines from 15 to three, probably to represent the three original colonies – New Haven, Saybrook, and Connecticut (Hartford) and still retained the original, but rearranged the position of the motto.

Connecticut is a business-minded state, emerging to be having the nation’s second highest per capita income. Several firms now involved in the design and production of robotic and fiber-optic equipment had now relocated to Stamford. While Hartford had grown to be the nation’s insurance capital, had its headquarters rising above the recently cleaned-up Connecticut River, restoring its importance again as the spawning ground for Atlantic salmon.

The oldest newspaper in the United States, the Hartford Courant (since 1764) is also Connecticut based and still being published.

To be always conscious of its history, the people of Connecticut re-created the Mystic Seaport, a 19th-century port village and maritime museum, where a replica of the slave ship Amistad is its most popular attraction among tourists and visitors to the state.

The silk-road trading center, this used to describe Baku’s Harbor, of the capital city of Azerbaijan and the finest harbor in the Caspian Sea. Gone now is silk trading and petroleum has driven its economy for the past 100years and had replaced the once prized commodity.

Azerbaijan is located just south of Russia and is on the west coast of the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains dominate the northwestern part of the country. There are extensive lowlands, particularly at the south and west of Baku, the oil-rich capital. The autonomous region of Naxcivan (population-300, 000) is to the west and is separated as a chunk of the country by Armenia.

Turkic tribes were the main migrants into the area from the 10th to the 12th century and by 1400, the Shiite sect of Islam had cohesively molded their religious inclinations. The 19th century saw the Russians lording it over, but later witnessed the emergence of a national consciousness and development of an oil industry. At the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Azerbaijan was the first to declare independence.

Thus, the present symbol, the National Flag of Azerbaijan is actually the first borne out of the call for independence. It consists of three horizontal bands, reckoned from the top of blue, red, and green with a white crescent and an eight pointed star (Rub El Hizb) at the center of the red band. The eight points of the star represents the various divisions of the Turkic people, the blue band is the color of the Turks, while green is for Islam and red is for progress.

Independence of the country also brought conflicts with neighboring Armenia, as war was waged over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The red “C” of the Colorado State Flag makes it distinguishable from the rest of the state flags of the union. Although the flag has three horizontal stripes of equal width of blue (top and bottom) and white at the center, still the big “C” catches your attention, together with the circular golden disk that makes it doubly interesting.

Color blue represents the skies, the golden circular disk is for the rich minerals found in Colorado, and white is for the snow-capped mountains. The big “C” not only identifies Colorado as a State, but its color being red is a representation of the reddish Colorado River.

The state’s General Assembly adopted the flagon June 5, 1911, based on the designs submitted by Andrew Carlisle Johnson. However, the state legislature failed to meticulously specify the size of the “C” and the exact shade for the colors red and blue. Thus on February 28, 1929, the General Assembly dictated that the colors used on the flag, particularly red and blue must be similar to the colors used on the American Flag. And on March 31, 1964, the State Legislature further willed that the diameter of the gold disc must be equal to the center stripe.

As an American, who would not be familiar with Colorado being the favorite vacation destination for families the whole-year round, with 26 million visitors making the excursion to the highest state. Visitors enjoy the expanse of the ski resorts and tourist centers, while others fill their adventure with a review of the wildlife habitat. Also the state is the gateway to aficionados engaged in rafting and camping, particularly the southern mountains.

For tourism alone, it pumps in 7billion dollars to the local economy.

If you are an avid follower of the National Basketball Association (NBA), then the mere mention of Arizona would certainly be tied as the home of the Phoenix Suns, an elite basketball franchise well on the way in it’s ongoing quest for a championship. Also Arizona had once been favored by people with asthma and other lung allergies because of its clean, dry air and abundant sunshine all throughout the year.

A fact that is visually incorporated in the State Flag of Arizona that has 13 rays of red and gold (the conquistador colors and of Spain) on the upper half, also representing the thirteen original counties (fifteen as of last count) as well as symbolizing the scenic sunset. The rest of the custom flag has a blue color representing liberty.

Arizona is characterized by ghostly cliff dwellings such as Canyon de Chelly that stand as mute witness to its history. Of Wupatki a large Native American thriving pueblo community, where thousands live some 800years ago, a series of areas that are nominally within a day’s walk from each other. In contrast however, today the majority of residents reside within the confines of Tucson and Phoenix.

The population of Arizona has ballooned in the last 20 years bringing the total number of residents to over 5.5million.

Incidentally smog now shrouds Arizona as high-tech service industries and aerospace manufacturing have overshadowed the “three C’s” – copper, cattle, and cotton, once the lifeblood of the state, although irrigation on areas with agribusiness stake remains intact.

Due to the State being dry, the government had constructed the multibillion-dollar Central Arizona Project river diversion program to quench Arizona’s thirst, and to relieve some other water needs.