The national flag most similar to and likely to be confused with that of Australia is the New Zealand flag, introduced for restricted use in 1869 and adopted as the New Zealand national flag in 1902.
The Commonwealth blue ensign, which later became the Australian National Flag, was developed from the winning entries. The same flag design, on a red background, was called the Commonwealth red ensign and used on Australia's merchant ships.
The Australian National Flag has the Union Jack in the upper left-hand quarter nearest the flagpole (the 'canton') to acknowledge the history of British settlement in Australia. The rest of the background (the 'field') is coloured dark blue.
Why are the flags so similar? When Capt. James Cook landed in Australia and (against orders of the Crown) declared the land a British colony, Australia and New Zealand shared a flag based on the blue ensign — a flag used by the British Navy.
The 3 flags of Australia include the Australian National Flag, the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag. The Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag were appointed flags of Australia in 1995, while a version of the Australian National Flag has been in use since 1901.
Australian flags include the Aboriginal flag, Torres Strait Islander flag and many ensigns used in defence and civilian organisations.
The Royal Australian Navy ensign
The white ensign of the British Royal Navy had been used since 1911, when the Royal Australian Navy was formed. The Australian white ensign is usually flown from the stern of a navy vessel, while the Australian National Flag is flown from the bow of the vessel.
About the Australian Red Ensign
The Australian Red Ensign has three elements, similar to the Australian National Flag, on a red background.
The flag of New Zealand (Māori: Te haki o Aotearoa), also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corner – augmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross ...
The Commonwealth Star is the emblem of Australian Federation. Six points represent the states and the seventh all the federal territories which together constitute the nation, the Commonwealth of Australia. The constellation of the Southern Cross indicates our geographical location in the southern hemisphere.
During the war, Australians fought under the British Union Flag and both the Australian Blue and Red Ensigns. The Blue Ensign was intended for official and Royal Australian Navy purposes, while the Red Ensign was the official flag for Australian registered merchant ships.
Australia is known for many things, including swathes of tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country, and lush rainforests.
New Zealand as an Australian state
One of the reasons that New Zealand chose not to join Australia was due to perceptions that the indigenous Māori population would suffer as a result.
White: White, in general, stands for peace and purity. It symbolizes light, innocence and even death. The countries that have the colour White as a major part of their flags are Japan, South Korea, Nepal, Israel and Finland, among others.
Five flags other than the New Zealand flag are flown for official purposes in New Zealand. They are the Governor-General's Flag, the New Zealand Red Ensign, the New Zealand White Ensign, the Royal New Zealand Air Force Ensign, and the New Zealand Civil Air Ensign.
The flag featured the stars of the Southern Cross in white placed on a blue cross against a white background. In the canton was the Union Jack. The design was based on the New South Wales ensign of the 1830s, which was a popular local banner until the 1890s, when it was adopted as the Australian federation flag.
The national flag of Scotland is also known as Saint Andrew's Cross or the Saltier. The white X from corner to corner over a blue background rather than the royal standard of Scotland is correct for all individuals and corporate bodies to fly in order to demonstrate both their loyalty and Scottish nationality.
The Eureka Flag. The Eureka Flag is made from wool and cotton. It was made in 1854. It consists of a dark blue field with a central white symmetric cross consisting five eight-pointed stars, representing the Crux constellation.
The flag of Morocco (Arabic: علم المغرب; Standard Moroccan Tamazight: ⴰⵛⵏⵢⴰⵍ ⵏ ⵎⵓⵔⴰⴽⵓⵛ) is the flag used by the government of Morocco and has served as the national flag of Morocco since 17 November 1915. It has a red field with a green pentagram in the centre.
Australia has a national flag but also recognises other flags, including state and territory flags, the Aboriginal flag, the Torres Strait Islander flag, Defence Force Ensigns and the Australian Red Ensign (flown at sea by Australian registered merchant ships).
Any person may fly the Australian National Flag. However, the flag should be treated with the respect and dignity it deserves as the nation's most important national symbol. Flag protocol is based on longstanding international and national practice.
The Australian Aboriginal Flag and Torres Strait Islander Flag were proclaimed flags of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act 1953 on 14 July 1995.
New South Wales
It shows a gold lion of England in the centre of the red cross of St George on a white background. The cross also bears four eight-pointed stars, one on each arm.
The current flag of Germany is distinctive, with three equal horizontal stripes of black, red, and yellow. This current design was officially adopted in 1919. However, we have to go a little further back to understand when it originated.