Colours on National Flags

Colours on National Flags

What do France, Australia and the US have in common? Among other things, their national flags all have the same colours: red, white and blue. In fact, as many as 29 countries in the world use these three colours in their national flags. Have you ever wondered why?

Historically, the three colours have been used for practical reasons. White was easier to create than most other colours because people could just bleach(漂白)a piece of cloth. Red and blue were harder to make, but they were strong dyes(染料) and would last long.

Besides, people loved the look of the three colours together. Each of the colours has its own meaning. Red often makes people think of “bravery”. It can be used to honour national heroes.White can mean “purity”, and blue can stand for “peace”. Both bring about a feeling of calm. People today still enjoy looking at these colours, but scientists aren't sure why that is.

There is also a more important reason. Some countries wanted to make a flag like the flag of a stronger country. For example, the Netherlands(荷兰) was strong on the sea in the 17th century.Its red, blue and white flag became a good model for other countries. One of them was Russia. When Tsar(沙皇) Peter visited the Netherlands, he thought its navy(海军) was great. He decided to borrow the design of the Dutch flag. But he changed the order of the three colours, of course!