Flags

The Swiss Embassy says:

THE SWISS FLAG

Among the flags of contemporary European countries, that of Switzerland is one of the most ancient and one of the most modern. It has a white cross in a red field; the cross is the same length on all sides and each arm is one-sixth longer than its width. The flag looks back upon 700 years of history. To trace the origin, one must go back to beginning of the Confederation. By the early Middle Ages the cross was commonly used on coins and seals and, as a symbol of the Christian faith, it was carried into battle on the banners of the various warring parties.

Documents and records show that the white cross, which appeared on the banner of Schwyz (one of the first Cantons which gave its name to Switzerland) in the year 1240, had been bestowed upon the Canton by the Emperor Frederick II as a token of its freedom. And from that time onwards, the citizens of the Confederation used a white cross, made of long strips of linen, as their common sign in battle to distinguish themselves from their enemies. Every man in the army either wore it on his tunic or on his armor. Although each Canton had its own flag in battle, every Swiss carried the white cross as his battle standard.

As the national flag, the white cross first appeared on a red background on the Confederation's seal in 1814. It has been officially in use since 1848, when Switzerland was transformed from a loose federation of different Cantons into the present Confederation with a central government. Its acceptance as the national flag is mainly due to the initiative of General Dufour.

The use of the red cross on a white background, which is actually the Swiss flag reversed, was granted to the International Red Cross to commemorate the organization founded by Henri Dunant, citizen of Geneva. Indeed, the plenipotentiaries of 35 nations, assembled in Geneva on July 6, 1906 to revise the "Geneva Convention," stated as follows in the enacting clause concerning the symbol of the International Red Cross: "To do homage to Switzerland, the heraldic arms of the Red Cross on a white field, which is formed by reversal of the Swiss Federal arms, shall be maintained as a distinctive emblem of the medical services of most armies.

This is a gross simplification. In fact, colours in flags rarely mean anything - there are soi few available. On the cantonal flags, the red represented, as it still does on many flags, freedom - the freedom of each canton to govern itself independently of anyone but the Holy Roman Emperor. The white cross was added to the dress of the Swiss because every nation in Europe employed Swiss mercenaries from time to time, and they didn't want to end up fighting each other.

Note also a curious coincidence: Because it was originally a battle standard, the Swiss flag is square. The only other national flag of that shape is the flag of the Vatican - which is also the only state left which employs Swiss mercenaries.

:)
the red stands for freedom the red stands for freedom

Nepal's flag is shaped like a triangle fixed on top of another triangle. See Sources and related links for a picture.

A square is a type of a rectangle. Hence, the square-shaped flag of Vatican City State and Switzerland are types of a rectangular flags.

The Norwegian flag had been discussed and planned and drafted since the constitution was written in 1814. The three colors we have were not the only propositions: green was also mentioned as a neutral color nobody could take offence of! The final flag was a compromise that everybody could agree on; Danes, Swedes or Norwegian patriots. The red basic color was taken from Denmark, the blue cross was meant to represent Sweden, and the white frame around the cross made it the tricolor of freedom and placed Norway among the other free nations. Another explanation of the white color, is that several Norwegian kings had used this color in their banners and weapons.

Update:

The colors where to represent the colors from Denmark and Sweden, also, they where taken from other democratic countries, especially the French revolution. Therefor, it's safe to say that white, blue and red means the same in Norway as for other democratic countries with those colors: Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Freedom (blue), equality (white), brothership(red))

The colors in the Italian flag are green, white and red. Here is their symbolism:

Green -- hope

White -- faith

Red -- charity
Green means- Hope

White means- Faith

Red means- Charity
the colors on the Italian flag are white, red, and green. In a religious way white means faith, red means charity, and green means hope. But in another way white stands for the snowy Alps, green stands for the grassy plains, and red stands for the blood split from the revolutionary war. Also for pizza white stands for the cheese, red stands for the tomato sauce, and green stands for the green, spicy peppers.
The RED :- Stands for the bravery during the roman times.

The white :- stands for the purity and faith.

The Green :- stands for all the trees and bushes that they have in the country.

or

Red=charity

White=faith

Green=hope

or

red= the blood spilt in the Italian independence war

white=the snowy Alps

green=the country's plains and hills

or

red=tomatoes

white=milk

green=brilliant grass

or

An ironic theory sometimes espoused by aficionados of Italian cuisine is that the three colors represent lasagna and pizza, two famous Italian dishes that combine

red tomatoes

white monzarella

green basil

The Mexican Coat of Arms, which also appears on the Mexican national flag, illustrates the fulfillment of a prophesy describing where the Aztec people would found their first city. It shows an eagle perched on a cactus with a serpent in its mouth.

Before 1325 AD, the Aztec (or Mexicapeople, as they called themselves) were a nomadic tribe who wandered throughout the land, looking for a place to settle and build their capital. Their state religion awaited the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: that the wandering tribe would find the destined site for a great city whose location would be signaled by an eagle eating a snake while perched atop a cactus.

The Aztecs saw this vision on what was then a small swampy island in the middle of lake Texcoco, after which they founded their capital city, on March 13, 1325. Not deterred by the unfavourable terrain, they set about building their city, using the chinampa system (misnamed as "floating gardens") for agriculture and to dry and expand the island. That city was Mexico-Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City (19° 25' 57.85'' N, 99° 07' 59.71'' W).