What does your countries flag symbolize?

[BeBMan]

And please be a bit specific, I know the stars in the US flag represent the states - but for what are those stripes? And anything special about the colors used?

For the union jack - is the big red cross in the center related to England´s flag? But what does the rest there?

Germany´s current flag (black/red/gold): Those colors were used first for elements of the uniforms of a special unit of German soldiers during the wars against Napoleon. After 1815 students adopted these colors and created the first flag in black/red/gold, used often in meetings were the restaurated monarchic system was criticized, and were civil rights were advocated. At this time the colors became symbols for the dark (black) past (Germany ruled by Napoleon) the present with bloody (red) fights for civil rights and the hope for a golden future.

This flag was officially used since 1918 by the Weimar republic until the Nazi rule. After 1945 both East and West Germany returned to those colors (but East Germany added some "communist" symbols)

So what are the stories behind your flag?

[Japher]

The stripes are the 13 colonies. The colors?

Red: Represents the blood we spilt when we stole the country and "liberated" it
White: The color of our skin...
Blue: The color of the supreme race's eyes...?

[loinburger]

The stripes on the US flag represent the original thirteen states. They started out adding a new stripe to the flag every time they added another state to the union, but that quickly became impractical.

[Imran Siddiqui]

but for what are those stripes

13 stripes... one for each colony that gained independance in 1776.

[DaShi]

The Japanese flag is a JigglyPuff as seen from above.

[BeBMan]

I thought it was the Tenno´s blood test

[Solly]

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Officialese, "The flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack, is a superposition of the flags of Saint George (for England), Saint Andrew (for Scotland) and Saint Patrick (for Ireland). This superposition is quite intricate, and often drawn incorrectly."

[Solly]

Notice that it doesn't incorporate the flags of Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan or Somalia.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Or Wales.

[Solly]

A dragon would look quite odd over all that lot!

[Pekka]

I'm not sure. Blue is for the sky, white for the clouds? Something like that.

[Chilean President™]

Blue is the sky and the sea that caresses our land.
White is the snow of the mighty Andes that protect us as a defensive wall.
Red is the blood of the soldiers that fought for our independence.
The white star represent the unity of the Nation under one head of state, the President. (on the early years the white 5 points star had another one on the background of 8 points that represented the Araucanos native... their holy 8 points star).

[Adalbertus]

Pekka, white is for the snow

According to what I've heard about the Union Jack, there is some intricate ranking of the three flags. The English as the most important is in the foreground, the Scottish in the background. When the Irish had to be added, it had to go on top of the Scottish flag (obvious reasons of composition). To indicate that Scotland is more important than Ireland, the Patrick's cross has been lowered at the side of the pole, and as a "countermeasure" and probably also for aesthetical reasons, lifted on the other side.
Ok, that's what I was told by an English person after a concert in Lancaster.

[Solly]

The diagonals still point towards the centre when you take a weight.

[DAVOUT]

EU flag :

- The color blue symbolize the Earth, the Blue Planet (as seen from space)

- The ring of golden stars represents the European nations which intend to dominate said planet.