Mediterranean Archives - Page 2 of 3

San Marino

Flags / childhood, economy, europe, flags, geography, history, Mediterranean, transportation

The state and war flag of San Marino is formed by two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) with a closed crown on top, flanked by an oak and laurel wreath, with a scroll below bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty). The two colors of the flag represent peace (white) and liberty (azure).

Although the Law on the flag and coat of arms of San Marino from 2011 refers only to the “official flag” of the republic, a de facto civil flag, which omits the coat of arms, can sometimes be seen flying. Some official sources of San Marino suggest that the civil flag is actually the bicolor with the coat of arms of the specific city it is used in, instead of the national one.

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Morocco

Flags / africa, Atlantic Ocean, economy, flags, geography, history, Mediterranean, transportation

Red has considerable historic significance in Morocco, proclaiming the descent from royal Alaouite dynasty. This ruling house was associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad via Fatimah, the wife of Ali, the fourth Muslim Caliph. Red is also the color that was used by the sharifs of Mecca and the imams of Yemen. From the 17th century on, when Morocco was ruled by the Alaouite dynasty, the flags of the country were plain red.

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Montenegro

Flags / Eastern Europe, economy, europe, flags, former Soviet satellites, geography, history, Mediterranean, transportation

The flag of Montenegro is red, with the coat of arms in the middle, and golden borders. The ratio of the flag is 1:2. The coat of arms takes up 2⁄3 of the flag’s height. The middle point of the coat of arms matches the middle point of the flag. The width of the border is 1⁄20 of the flag’s proportions. Two versions of the Montenegrin flag are in use, horizontal, mostly used outdoor; and vertical, mostly used indoor.

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Monaco

Flags / Cities, economy, europe, flags, france, geography, history, Mediterranean, microstates, transportation

The flag of Monaco is the national flag of the Principality of Monaco. It has two equal horizontal bands, of red (top) and white (bottom), both of which have been the heraldic colours of the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339. The present bicolour design was adopted on 4 April 1881, under Charles III.

Monaco’s original flag, which was similar to its current princely flag but bore an older version of its coat of arms, was in use from the principality’s early days (except during its annexation to France from 1793 to 1814) until the present, simpler design was adopted in 1881.

The flag of Monaco is graphically identical to the flag of Indonesia, with differences in their dimension ratios (Monaco’s at 4:5 and Indonesia’s at 2:3), and the shade of red is darker for the flag of Monaco. The flag of Poland is also similar to that of Monaco, but with the colours reversed – white on top and red on the bottom.

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Malta

Flags / economy, europe, flags, geography, history, islands, Mediterranean, transportation

Tradition states that the colors of the flag were given to Malta by Roger I of Sicily in 1090. Roger’s fleet landed in Malta on the completion of the Norman conquest of Sicily. It is said that local Christians offered to fight by Roger’s side against the Arab defenders. In order to recognize the locals fighting on his side from the defenders, Roger reportedly tore off part of his checkered red-and-white flag. This story has, however, been debunked as a 19th-century myth, possibly even earlier due to the Mdina, Malta’s old capital, associating its colors with Roger’s in the late Middle Ages.

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Libya

Flags / africa, economy, flags, geography, history, Mediterranean, Middle East, political, transportation

The flag of Libya was originally introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya. The flag, consisting of the Pan Arab colours, was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris Al Senussi who comprised the UN delegation representing the three regions of Cyrenaica, Fezzan, and Tripolitania at UN unification discussions.

The flag fell out of use in 1969, but was subsequently adopted by the National Transitional Council and anti-Gaddafi forces and effectively reinstated as the country’s national flag in article three of the Libyan Draft Constitutional Charter for the Transitional Stage issued on 3 August 2011.

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Lebanon

Flags / asia, economy, flags, geography, history, Mediterranean, Middle East, political, transportation

The flag of Lebanon is formed of two horizontal red stripes enveloping a horizontal white stripe. The white stripe is twice the height ( width ) of the red ones (ratio 1:2:1). The green cedar (Lebanon Cedar) in the middle touches each of the red stripes and its width is one third of the width of the flag.

The presence and position of the Cedar in the middle of the flag is directly inspired by the mountains of Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani). The Cedar is a symbol of holiness, eternity and peace. As an emblem of longevity, the cedar of Lebanon has its origin in many biblical references.

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Sicily

Flags / economy, europe, flags, geography, history, islands, Italy, Mediterranean, transportation

The flag is characterized by the presence of the triskeles in its middle, the (winged) head of Medusa and three wheat ears, representing the extreme fertility of the land of Sicily, The triskelion symbol is said to represent the three capes (headlands or promontories of the island of Sicily, namely: Pelorus (Peloro, Tip of Faro, Messina: North-East); Pachynus (Passero, Syracuse: South); and Lilybæum (Lilibeo, Cape Boeo, Marsala: West), which form three points of a triangle from the historical three valli of the island.

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Sardinia

Flags / economy, europe, flags, geography, history, islands, Italy, Mediterranean, transportation

The flag is composed of the St George’s Cross and four heads of Moors, which in the past may not have been forehead bandaged but blindfolded and turned towards the left. But already well-preserved pictures from the 16th century clearly show a forehead bandage. The most accepted hypothesis is that the heads represented the heads of Moorish princes defeated by the Aragonese, as for the first time they appeared in the 13th-century seals of the Crown of Aragon – although with a beard and no bandage, contrary to the Moors of the Sardinian flag, which appeared for the first time in a manuscript of the second half of the 14th century.

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Italy

Flags / economy, europe, flags, geography, history, islands, Mediterranean, political, transportation

The Tricolour Day, Flag Day dedicated to the Italian flag, is established by law n. 671 of 31 December 1996, which is held every year on 7 January. This celebration commemorates the first official adoption of the tricolour as a national flag by the Cispadane Republic, a Napoleonic sister republic of Revolutionary France, which took place in Reggio Emilia on 7 January 1797. The Italian national colours appeared for the first time in Genoa on a tricolour cockade on 21 August 1789, anticipating by seven years the first green, white and red Italian military war flag, which was adopted by the Lombard Legion on 11 October 1796.

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