State Flags of English-speaking Countries

Canadian state flag was adopted rather lately, in 1964, because the country had been the British Dominion for a long time. The flag has 3 vertical stripes: 2 red ones with a white stripe between them which has a red maple leaf in its middle. Two red stripes mean two oceans between which Canada lies. As to the red maple leaf, it is the symbol of Canada and its national unity.

Australian and New Zealand state flags are very much alike. They both have the British flag in their left top corner because the history of both countries has been connected for a long time with Great Britain. In addition to the British emblem the Australian national flag has one large white 7-point star under the British emblem and smaller white stars of the Southern Cross on a blue field, while the New Zealand state flag has red 5-point stars of the Southern Cross on a blue field, The Southern Cross of both flags means the southern hemisphere and a blue field symbolizes a blue sky and water surrounding the countries. The 7-point stars on the Australian flag mean the number of the Australian states.

The national flag of Ireland has 3 equal vertical stripes: green, white and orange. The flag colours are closely connected with the French Revolution flag, expressing solidarity and moral support. The green-white-orange flag came into being in 1830-s and soon gained popularity. Symbolizing the country unity, the flag colours have their own definite meaning. The green colour is the symbol of Ireland, “Green Erin”, and its struggle for independence. Two other stripes’ colours express different religious denominations: the white one is the symbol of Catholicism, while the orange one is the symbol of Protestantism.

Задание 2. Дайте письменные ответы на предложенные вопросы:

1. Was the Canadian flag adopted long ago?

2. What do the red stripes on the Canadian flag mean?

3. What does the maple leaf symbolize?

4. Are Australian and New Zealand state flags quite different?

5. Why can we see the British emblem on both flags?

6. What do the stars on Australian and New Zealand flags mean?

7. What are the colours on the national flag of Ireland?

8. Are the stripes on the Irish flag vertical or horizontal?

9. Explain the meaning of the stripe colours.

10. When did the Irish state flag come into being?