Yesterday I put an image of the National flag of Costa Rica onto the diary.  I was wondering what the detailed emblem was meant to signify, so I've looked it up. 

The three volcanoes represent the 3 mountain ranges
The two oceans represent the Atlantic and the Pacific
A merchant ship on each ocean represents cultural and commercial exchange world-wide
The rising sun signifies prosperity
Finally the seven stars represent the 7 provinces

And why in particular might they have chosen the three colours for the stripes?
According to Ancient and Heraldic traditions the symbolism associated with the colours is:-

• White - peace and honesty
• Red - bravery, strength and valour
• Blue - vigilance, truth, perseverance, justice and loyalty

So first to spring to my mind are the United Kingdom's Union Jack, the United States of America's "Stars and Stripes", the French Tricolor (no messing about it is what it says it is!)....

And then the more I look, the more I am amazed at how many nations have chosen this trio of colour... Luxembourg, Netherlands, Thailand, Paraguay, North Korea - and many more.  I have to say that from my brief research it also seems that each nation interprets the meaning of the colours differently... oh so close... but a world apart!

See you tomorrow.
EMMA