Portugal
The Flag of Portugal consists of two uneven vertical bands of Green and Red with a Armillary Sphere where the two colours join together. The green colour symbolises the hope for the future while the red represents the blood of the Portuguese fighters who fought for The Portuguese Republic. The colours were also chosen to be distinct from the blue and white colours that were commonly associated with the Portuguese Monarchy. For context, In 1974, the Portuguese dictatorship was overthrown, the revolution was successful and Portugal became a free republic. Wanting to distinguish themselves from the Monarchy, the new government chose new colours for the flag.
The Portuguese flag also contains the Armillary Sphere, which was an important navigational tool used by Portuguese sailors in the 15th century. The Armillary Sphere symbolises the Portuguese leadership in European exploration and colonisation of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. On the sphere, there is a shield with five other shields on it. The five shields symbolise the five enemy kings defeated by the first Portuguese king, Afonso I. The shields are arranged in the shape of a cross to express Portugal’s devotion to Christianity. There are also 7 castles on the shield which symbolise the 7 castles Afonso I took back from his enemies.
Cambodia
The Cambodian Flag features two small blue horizontal blue bands on the top and bottom and a horizontal red one in the middle. It also featured a white picture of the Angkor Wat in the centre. The blue symbolises the cambodian king and and red symbolises the cambodian people, the bands are cleverly designed so that the red and blue bands are equal in area, symbolising the equality between monarch and people. The Angkor Wat is the biggest temple in Cambodia and symbolises its devotion to Buddhism.
Belarus
The Belarusian Flag consists of two uneven horizontal bands of red and green with red being the bigger band, taking up around 2/3rds of the flag. On the left side there is a vertical white pattern. There is no official interpretation. The explanation given by Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, is that the red represents the sacrifice of the nation’s founders and the green represents life. The white pattern on the side is a traditional pattern used in the traditional woven garments, called Ruchnik. The white colour represents life.
Malaysia
The Malaysian Flag consists of 14 horizontal alternating red and white stripes. It also includes a yellow crescent moon and a 14-pointed star in the top-left on a blue background. The red, white and blue represent their inclusion in the Commonwealth, which is an international organisation consisting of most of the former territories of the British Empire. The yellow colour represents their sovereign rulers. The crescent moon symbolises the dominant religion in the country, Islam. Finally, the 14-pointed star symbolises the 13 states and single federal territory united as one.
