Star symbols are featured on the flags of 59 independent states, plus other governmental and non-governmental organizations. The symbolic meaning of a star on a flag isn’t universal; each country may have a definite reason for featuring the shape.
Alongside other symbols, a flag may consist of one or more stars, and these stars can be in various shapes, from hexagrams to 24-pointed stars. However, the five-pointed star is most common on national flags.
While there are many countries with stars on their flag, here we'll look in detail at a list of five states whose flags include conspicuous stars:
The United States flag features the most stars than any national flag globally. It consists of a blue canton at the left upper corner bearing fifty-pointed white stars and rows of 13 horizontal red and white stripes.
Each star represents a U.S. individual state, whereas the stripes signify the initial 13 colonies. The American flag has been amended 26 times, most recently in 1959, when Hawaii was incorporated as a state into the Union.
The flag of Brazil is bright green, with a centered yellow diamond occupied by a blue globe. The blue globe has 27 stars and a white banner consisting of the country's slogan.
The green color represents Braganza's royal house, while yellow signifies the house of Habsburg. The stars used to represent how the groups in the southern hemisphere were seen from Rio de Janeiro in the early morning on November 15, 1889, when Brazil became a republic.
Later, they copied the U.S. in having stars representing states. The flag was modified to 21 stars but has still changed to incorporate the changing number of states. Today, the Brazilian flag has 27 stars.
Israel is the only country with a star on flag highlighting a hexagram-shape (The Star of David).
The star was incorporated on Israel’s flag after the state's independence, where a white background was placed between two horizontal blue stripes. The symbolic meaning of the star has to do with Jewish identity.
It was initially limited to use by the Jewish population in Austria, the Czech Republic and some parts of Germany. But after the 19th century, the star became an emblem of the Jewish people throughout Eastern Europe.
The flag of Australia has six stars—five are seven-sided, and one is a five-sided star. The big seven-pointed star under the Union Jack is a Federation Star signifying Australia's six territories and states.
The four minor seven-pointed stars and the single five-pointed star stands for the Southern Cross constellation- only visible from the Southern Hemisphere and thus representing the geographical location of Australia.
Aruba, one of the four constituent countries of the Netherlands Kingdom, is the only country with a four-sided star on its flag. The red star has a white outline and is packed on a blue background.
The four points on the star represent the origin of the Aruban community, and the red colors indicate the red soil of the country, enclosed by a blue sea. Then there are the white edges of the star that represent purity, honesty, and white beaches.
Country | Star Details | Flag |
---|---|---|
Algeria | Red five-pointed star | |
Angola | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Australia | Six white stars (one five-pointed star, five seven-pointed) | |
Azerbaijan | White eight-pointed star | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom | |
Brazil | Twenty-seven white five-pointed star | |
Burkina Faso | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Burundi | Three red solid six-pointed stars outlined in green | |
Cameroon | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Cape Verde | Ten yellow five-pointed stars | |
Central African Republic | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Chile | White five-pointed star | |
China | Five yellow five-pointed stars | |
Comoros | Five white five-pointed stars | |
Cook Islands | Fifteen white five-pointed stars | |
Cuba | White five-pointed star | |
Curacao | Two white five-pointed stars | |
Djibouti | Red five-pointed star | |
Dominica | Ten green five-pointed stars | |
DR Congo | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Equatorial Guinea | Six yellow six-pointed stars | |
Ethiopia | Yellow five-pointed star on a blue disc | |
French Guiana | Red five-pointed star | |
Ghana | Black five-pointed star | |
Grenada | Seven yellow five-pointed stars | |
Guinea Bissau | Black five-pointed star | |
Honduras | Five blue five-pointed stars | |
Hong Kong | Five red five-pointed star | |
Israel | Blue six-pointed star (Star of David) | |
Jordan | White seven-pointed star | |
Liberia | White five-pointed star | |
Libya | White five-pointed star | |
Macau | Five golden five-pointed stars | |
Malaysia | Yellow fourteen-point star (Bintang Persekutuan - Federal Star) | |
Marshall Islands | White 24-pointed star | |
Mauritania | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Micronesia | Four white five-pointed star | |
Morocco | Green five-pointed star | |
Mozambique | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Myanmar | White five-pointed star | |
Namibia | Yelllow twelve-pointed star | |
Nauru | White twelve-pinted star | |
Nepal | Twelve white five-pointed stars | |
New Zealand | Four red five-pointed star with white borders on the fly | |
Niue | Five yellow five-pointed stars | |
North Korea | Red five-pointed star | |
Pakistan | White five-pointed star | |
Panama | Two five-pointed star (one blue and one red) | |
Papua New Guinea | Five white five-pointed stars | |
Paraguay | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Philippines | Three golden-yellow five-pointed stars | |
Puerto Rico | White five-pointed star | |
Republic of the Congo | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Two white five-pointed stars | |
Samoa | Five white five-pointed stars | |
Sao Tome and Principe | Two black five-pointed stars | |
Senegal | Green five-pointed star | |
Singapore | Five white five-pointed stars | |
Slovenia | Three golden six-pointed stars | |
Solomon Islands | Five white five-pointed stars | |
Somalia | White five-pointed star | |
South Sudan | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Suriname | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Syria | Two green five-pointed stars | |
Tajikistan | Seven yellow five-pointed stars | |
Timor Leste | White five-pointed star | |
Togo | White five-pointed star | |
Tunisia | Red five-pointed star | |
Turkey | White five-pointed star | |
Turkmenistan | Five white five-pointed stars | |
Tuvalu | Nine yellow five-pointed stars | |
United States | Fifty white five-pointed stars | |
Uzbekistan | Twelve white five-pointed stars | |
Venezuela | Eight white five-pointed stars | |
Vietnam | Yellow five-pointed star | |
Western Sahara | Red five-pointed star | |
Zimbabwe | Red five-pointed star |