Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a small state in Southeast Asia. Surrounded by more powerful neighbors, the country has been repeatedly conquered, changing not only its name but also its national flag.
This is what the modern flag of Myanmar looks like:
History
One of the first known flags was that of the peacock. It became the national symbol of the Conbaun dynasty, the Third Burmese Empire, which ruled these lands from 1752 to 1853.
From 1853 to 1876 there was a Burmese Empire with a red flag and the image of a black cross.
From 1824 to 1937, British Burma used the British flag.
From 1937 to 1941 the state received a flag: a dark blue cloth with the British flag in the wing. On the right side of the flag is a peacock inscribed in a circle.
From 1941 to 1942 used the flag of a separate colony.
From 1943 to 1945 Burma was under the rule of occupying Japan. In those years a flag with three horizontal stripes of yellow, green and red was used. In the center was a white circle with a peacock.
A separate flag was used from 1943 to 1945 during the Japanese occupation.
In the last year of the occupation they changed the flag again.
It then returned to the blue flag with the British symbol in the upper left corner and the peacock on the right.
On January 4, 1948, Burma achieved independence from the British Empire and received a new flag in red with a blue quarter in the upper left corner with stars. The large star represented the Union, and the five stars surrounding it were symbols of the five ethnic groups.
The flag was official until early 1974, when the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma emerged. The flag also changed: instead of stars, there was a sheaf of rice surrounded by 14 stars. The sheaf of rice represents the working class and its achievements. The stars are symbols of the administrative division of the state.
In 2010, the government approved a new name for the state – Republic of the Union of Myanmar. At the same time a new modern flag was approved.
In 2008, during the Olympics in China, fans from Taiwan waved the flag of Myanmar, because the flag of Taiwan is banned.
Description of the flag of Myanmar
The flag is rectangular in shape, consisting of three equal horizontal stripes: yellow, green and red. In the center of the cloth is a large white five-pointed star. The new state flag is a combination of the flags of Burma and Burma.
The flag of Myanmar resembles the national flag of Lithuania, the only difference being that it is complemented by a white star.
Meaning of colors and symbol
- The three colored stripes on the banner are symbols of peace, stability, and courage peculiar to the inhabitants of the state.
- A five-pointed white star is placed in the center of the banner.
- The green color of its flag symbolizes peace, tranquility and prosperity; the yellow color is responsible for the solidarity of all citizens of the state, and the red means determination and valor.
- The big white star is a symbol of the country’s eternal existence.
After the approval of the new flag, the state obliged the inhabitants of the country to burn all the flags used under previous regimes. Henceforth the inhabitants of the state had to associate themselves directly with the new flag.
Other flags of Myanmar
- The flag of the National League for Democracy;
- Flag of the Myanmar Navy.
Myanmar has come a long way toward full self-determination and independence, and the journey is still not over.
General information about Myanmar
| Official language | Burmese |
| Capital | Neipyido |
| Territory | 678 500 km2 |
| Population | 52 885 223 people |
| Currency | Myanmar kyat |
| Phone Code | +95 |
