Political Map of Southern Europe
Southern Europe Political Rockeys, Ipe Nov. 2015
Albania: The Albanian flag is unique in which the item on which is put on the flag. On Albanian flag, there is a black two-headed eagle, a symbol originally from Rome to invoke its power. This was the same flag used by Albania's national hero, Skanderbeg when he successfully held off the Ottoman Empire, and is prized as such.
Andorra: The Andorran flag shows its French and Spanish influences in the colors in the tricolor background, while the coat of arms is a mix of the two groups which originally created it, the Count of Foix, and the bishop of Urgel. The latin motto shown, "Virtus unita fortior" means "Strength united is stronger," a fitting phrase for this country with strong ties to Spain and France. Bosnia and Herzegovina: The flag for Bosnia and Herzegovina is comprised of a flag with a blue background, a yellow upside down isosceles right triangle with 8 stars. The stars are located on the hypotenuse of the triangle and are comprised of 7 full five-point stars, and two half stars. This flag has no meaning, and was established by the U.N. as a neutral flag to satisfy the conflicting ethnic groups in the country. Croatia: The Croatian flag is based off the Russian one, as they had similar interests against the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time. Later, the traditional coat of arms of Croatia was added on to create the flag. Greece: The flag has a strong tie to the predominant religion of Greece, Eastern Orthodox, and as such the cross represents the wisdom of God, along with freedom and country. The nine remaining blue and white stripes refer to the nine syllables in the Greek battle cry of independence used in their war of independence against the Ottomans. Italy: Originally created in Lombardy, the Cisalpine Republic eventually adopted it, with the rest of the unification revolutionaries adopting it as well so that it eventually became the national flag. The pattern was supposedly based off of the pattern on the urban militia of Milan. Kosovo: The flag design was greatly influenced by the EU to avoid conflict, hence the color scheme. The six stars supposedly represent the six main ethnic groups in Kosovo (Albanians, Bosniaks, Gorani, Roma, Serbs, and Turks), with an outline of the country in the middle of the flag. However, as this flag wasn't designed by the people, most people use flags of the country of origin of their ethnicity (Albania, Serbia, etc.) Macedonia: The starburst design dates back to the dynasty of Alexander the Great, with the red and golden colors dating from an early coat of arms for the country. The name of the star is the "Star of Verghina." Malta: Roger I of Sicily granted Malta a coat of arms as a simple red and white background as is shown on the flag. The George Cross on the top left corner was added after World War II, when King George VI of Britain awarded the Maltese people for their bravery in war (Malta was British at the time). Montenegro: The flag of Montenegro displays the dynastic arms of the old ruling family, the Njegos dynasty. Portugal: The coat of arms contains five shields for the five Moorish kings Count Alfonso Henriques killed at Ouriques, with each shield containing five white plates for the five wounds of Christ. This symbol reminds Portugal of its history, while the red background was from their revolutionary flag, with the green added to distinguish the two. San Marino: The three towers on the coat of arms represent the three mountain fortresses which guard the micro-state of San Marino. Located in the Apennines, the light blue and white background suggest the sky and clouds from its elevated geography. Serbia: The background of the Serbian flag derives from the Russian flag, and those three colors (white, blue, and red) were eventually regarded to the pan-Slavic colors, used in a multitude of countries at the time, uniting them against the Ottoman Empire. The coat of arms is again from the Roman empire, with the added Cyrillic c's supposedly for “Samo sloga Srbina spasava” (“Only unity will save the Serbs”). Slovenia: The pan-Slavic colors used were an effort to show unity among Slavs during Napoleon's invasion. The coat of arms is based off the one used by the county of Celjie, with the triple peak added to show Slovenia's highest mountain, Mount Triglav. Spain: The red and gold background are simply traditional colors used on Spanish flags without any specific symbolism behind it. The pillars represent the Pillars of Hercules, and the crown the stability Spain has achieved under a monarchy. The four sections of the shield represent various notable areas of Spain, such as Aragon and Castile, and the fleur-de-lis's in the center represent the Bourbon influence upon Spain. The phrase "plus ultra" (more beyond) recognizes the many discoveries Spanish explorers have made. Vatican City: The white and yellow background are a tradition with Papal states with the coat of arms being the traditional one of the Pope. The original two golden keys represent either the keys St. Peter was given to access the kingdom of heaven or the Pope's claims to authority over both spiritual and temporal affairs. |