1.
Glossary of vexillology
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Flag terminology is the nomenclature, or system of terms, used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display. Badge A coat of arms or simple heraldic symbol, canton Any quarter of a flag, but commonly means the upper hoist quarter, such as the field of stars in the flag of the United States or the Union Jack in the Australian Flag. Charge A figure or symbol appearing in the field of a flag, emblem A device often used as a charge on a flag. It may be heraldic in origin or modern, for example the maple leaf on the Canadian Flag, field The background of a flag, the color behind the charges. Fimbriation A narrow edging or border, often in white or gold, for example the white and gold lines of the South African Flag. Fly The half or edge of a flag farthest away from the flagpole and this term also sometimes refers to the horizontal length of a flag. Hoist The half or edge of a flag nearest to the flagpole and this term also sometimes refers to the vertical width of a flag. Length The span of a flag along the side at right angles to the flagpole, width The span of a flag down the side parallel to the flagpole. Flags often inherit traits seen in traditional European heraldry designs and as a result patterns often share names, banderole or bannerol A small flag or streamer carried on the lance of a knight, or a long narrow flag flying from the mast-head of a ship. Banner Generically, a synonym for a flag of any kind, in heraldry, a flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms, but usually in a square or rectangular shape, also known as a banner of arms. Burgee A distinguishing flag of a recreational boating organisation, Civil ensign, merchant flag or merchant ensign A version of the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality. Civil flag A version of the flag flown by civilians on non-government installations or craft. Colour or color The flag of a military unit, courtesy flag or courtesy ensign A flag flown by a visiting ship in foreign waters as a token of respect. Ensign The flag of a ship or military unit, may also be used generically as a synonym for a flag of any kind. Fanion A small flag used by the French military, gonfalon, gonfanon or gonfalone A type of heraldic flag suspended from a crossbar. Guidon A small flag borne by a military unit, in Scots heraldry, a smaller version of the Standard. Pennon or pennant A flag larger at the hoist than at the fly, pipe banner A decorative flag for the Scottish Highland bagpipes. Prayer flag A type of flag found strung along mountain ridges and peaks in the Himalayas, rank flag or distinguishing flag The flag flown by a superior naval officer on his flagship or headquarters
Glossary of vexillology
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Contents
2.
Civil flag
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A civil flag is a version of the national flag that is flown by civilians on nongovernmental installations or craft. The use of flags was more common in the past to denote buildings or ships not manned by the military. In some countries, the flag is the same as the war flag or state flag but without the coat of arms, such as in the case of Spain. In others, it is an alteration of the war flag, in Scandinavia, state and war flags can be double and triple-tailed variants of the Nordic Cross flag. Many countries, particularly those with a British heritage, still have distinctive civil flags for use at sea, many based on the Red Ensign
Civil flag
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Argentina
3.
State flag
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There are two separate meanings for the term of state flag in vexillology, the flag of the government of a sovereign state and the flag of an individual subnational state. A state flag is a variant of a national flag specifically designated and restricted by law or custom to use by a government or its agencies. For this reason they are referred to as government flags. Scandinavian countries also use swallowtailed state flags, to differentiate them from civil flags. In addition, some countries have state ensigns, separate flags for use by government ships such as guard vessels. For example, government ships in the United Kingdom fly the blue ensign, state flags should not be confused with the national flag as used by military organisations, these are referred to as war flags and naval ensigns. To avoid confusion with the first meaning of the term, however, such a flag would be more referred to as the flag of the state of X. For this usage, see also, Flags of the Australian states and territories Flags of Brazilian states Flags of the U. S. states Flags of German states Znamierowski, the world encyclopedia of flags, The definitive guide to international flags, banners, standards and ensigns
State flag
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The
Flag of Massachusetts on display in the
Financial District of
Boston.
4.
Freeport, Maine
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Freeport is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,879 at the 2010 census, known for its numerous outlet stores, Freeport is home to L. L. Bean, Wolfes Neck Woods State Park, and the Desert of Maine. Freeport is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area, the town was once a part of North Yarmouth called Harraseeket, after the Harraseeket River. First settled about 1700, it was set off and incorporated on February 14,1789 as Freeport and it is probably named from the openness of its harbor. At the head of tide on the Harraseeket River is Mast Landing, from timber was shipped. The estuary was dammed to provide power for a gristmill, sawmill and fulling mill. Porters Landing was involved in shipbuilding, important in Freeport following the Revolutionary War, the industry reached its peak in the decade between 1850 and 1860, but declined with the Civil War. South Freeport, the largest of the waterfront villages, once had four shipyards, other businesses included fishing, canning and farming. In 1903, the Casco Castle and Amusement Park was built here by Amos Gerald to encourage travel by trolley cars, the hotel burned in 1914, but its tower still stands. Freeport Corner was a village for farming and trade, but the 1849 entrance of the railroad helped it develop into the towns commercial center. In the 1800s, fabric was sent from New York and Boston to be made into clothing by local piece workers, mallet established here a sawmill, brickyard, granite quarry and large shoe factory. In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean opened a store in the basement of his brothers shop at Freeport Corner. This store, L. L. Bean, became so popular that in 1951 it started remaining open 24 hours a day and its retail and mail order catalog facilities expanded into Freeports principal business, and a worldwide company with annual sales of over a billion dollars. In 1982, McDonalds made plans to tear down an 1850s Greek Revival house to one of its standard stores. This was one of the first times that McDonalds had been forced to change its restaurant design to fit local requirements. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 46.47 square miles. Situated at the extremity of Casco Bay, Freeport is drained by the Harraseeket River. Freeport borders Brunswick and Durham to the north, Pownal to the west, Freeport also shares small borders with Cumberland and Harpswell in Casco Bay
Freeport, Maine
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View of downtown
Freeport, Maine
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Main Street c. 1912
Freeport, Maine
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Jameson Tavern c. 1915
Freeport, Maine
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Casco Castle in 1906
5.
Flags of the U.S. states
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The flags of the U. S. states, territories and federal district exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Nonetheless, the majority of the states share the same design pattern consisting of the state seal superimposed on a monochrome background. The most recent current state flag is that of Utah, while the most recent current territorial flag is that of the Northern Mariana Islands. Modern U. S. state flags date from the 1890s, most U. S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I. Dates in parentheses denote when the current flag was adopted by the states legislature and these are the current flags of the federal district and territories of the United States. Dates in parenthesis denote when the district or territorys current flag was adopted by its respective political body, the U. S. national flag is the official flag for all islands, atolls, and reefs composing the United States Minor Outlying Islands. However, unofficial flags are in use on five of these nine areas, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island. Maine and Massachusetts have ensigns differing from the flag for use at sea
Flags of the U.S. states
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Map showing the U.S. state flags
6.
Maine
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Maine is the northernmost state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Maine is the 39th most extensive and the 41st most populous of the U. S. states and territories and it is bordered by New Hampshire to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the north. Maine is the easternmost state in the contiguous United States, and it is known for its jagged, rocky coastline, low, rolling mountains, heavily forested interior, and picturesque waterways, and also its seafood cuisine, especially clams and lobster. There is a continental climate throughout the state, even in areas such as its most populous city of Portland. For thousands of years, indigenous peoples were the inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine. At the time of European arrival in what is now Maine, the first European settlement in the area was by the French in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. The first English settlement was the short-lived Popham Colony, established by the Plymouth Company in 1607, as Maine entered the 18th century, only a half dozen European settlements had survived. Loyalist and Patriot forces contended for Maines territory during the American Revolution, Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820, when it voted to secede from Massachusetts to become an independent state. On March 15,1820, it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise, there is no definitive explanation for the origin of the name Maine, but the most likely origin is the name given by early explorers after a province in France. Whatever the origin, the name was fixed for English settlers in 1665 when the English Kings Commissioners ordered that the Province of Maine be entered from then on in official records. The state legislature in 2001 adopted a resolution establishing Franco-American Day, other theories mention earlier places with similar names, or claim it is a nautical reference to the mainland. Attempts to uncover the history of the name of Maine began with James Sullivans 1795 History of the District of Maine. He made the allegation that the Province of Maine was a compliment to the queen of Charles I, Henrietta Maria. MAINE appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 in reference to the county of Dorset, the view generally held among British place name scholars is that Mayne in Dorset is Brythonic, corresponding to modern Welsh maen, plural main or meini. Some early spellings are, MAINE1086, MEINE1200, MEINES1204, mason had served with the Royal Navy in the Orkney Islands where the chief island is called Mainland, a possible name derivation for these English sailors. Initially, several tracts along the coast of New England were referred to as Main or Maine, Maine is the only state whose name has exactly one syllable. The original inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine were Algonquian-speaking Wabanaki peoples, including the Abenaki, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Penobscot, who had a loose confederacy. European contact with what is now called Maine started around 1200 CE when Norwegians interacted with the native Penobscot in present-day Hancock County, most likely through trade
Maine
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The coast of Maine near
Acadia National Park
Maine
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Flag
Maine
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Boothbay Harbor
Maine
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Autumn in Stratton
7.
Coat of arms of Maine
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The Great Seal of the State of Maine was adopted in June 1820. There have been variations in the details of the seal, but the overall design, the center of the seal is a shield adorned with a tranquil scene of a moose resting in a field bordered by water and woods, a pine tree stands tall directly behind the moose. On either side of the shield, a farmer rests on his scythe, above the shield is the motto Dirigo, and a stylized North Star. Below the shield is a banner that reads Maine, the legislature of 1919 decided that the design of the seal should no longer vary, and the design is still used today. Dīrigō is the motto of Maine, having once been the only state to hold its elections in September. The resolutions adopting the seal upon which this appears, give some insight into the meaning intended by the state motto. The motto and seal are used by the University of Maine, the motto has also been used for the name of the Dirigo Health Agency which oversees the state of Maines health care system. States Seals of the U. S. states List of Maine state symbols Flag of Maine The Great Seal of the State of Maine
Coat of arms of Maine
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Historical coat of arms (1876)
Coat of arms of Maine
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Great Seal of Maine
8.
Pine
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A pine is any conifer in the genus Pinus, /ˈpiːnuːs/, of the family Pinaceae. Pinus is the genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The Plant List compiled by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts 126 species names of pines as current, together with 35 unresolved species, the modern English name pine derives from Latin pinus, which some have traced to the Indo-European base *pīt- ‘resin’. Before the 19th century, pines were often referred to as firs, the genus is divided into three subgenera, which can be distinguished by cone, seed, and leaf characters, Pinus subg. Pinus, the yellow, or hard pine group, generally harder wood. Ducampopinus, the foxtail or pinyon group Pinus subg, strobus, the white, or soft pine group, generally with softer wood and five needles per fascicle Most regions of the Northern Hemisphere host some native species of pines. One species crosses the equator in Sumatra to 2°S, in North America, various species occur in regions at latitudes from as far north as 66°N to as far south as 12°N. Various species have been introduced to temperate and subtropical regions of both hemispheres, where they are grown as timber or cultivated as ornamental plants in parks, a number of such introduced species have become invasive and threaten native ecosystems. Pine trees are evergreen, coniferous trees growing 3–80 m tall. The smallest are Siberian dwarf pine and Potosi pinyon, and the tallest is a 81.79 m tall ponderosa pine located in southern Oregons Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the bark of most pines is thick and scaly, but some species have thin, flaky bark. The branches are produced in regular pseudo whorls, actually a very tight spiral, the spiral growth of branches, needles, and cone scales are arranged in Fibonacci number ratios. The new spring shoots are sometimes called candles, they are covered in brown or whitish bud scales and point upward at first, then turn green. These candles offer foresters a means to evaluate fertility of the soil, pines are long-lived, and typically reach ages of 100–1,000 years, some even more. The longest-lived is the Great Basin bristlecone pine, Pinus longaeva, one individual of this species, dubbed Methuselah, is one of the worlds oldest living organisms at around 4,600 years old. This tree can be found in the White Mountains of California, an older tree, now cut down, was dated at 4,900 years old. It was discovered in a grove beneath Wheeler Peak and it is now known as Prometheus after the Greek immortal, pines have four types of leaf, Seed leaves on seedlings, born in a whorl of 4–24. Juvenile leaves, which follow immediately on seedlings and young plants, 2–6 cm long, single, green or often blue-green and these are produced for six months to five years, rarely longer. Scale leaves, similar to bud scales, small, brown and non-photosynthetic, needles, the adult leaves, are green and bundled in clusters called fascicles
Pine
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Pine tree
Pine
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A
Khasi pine in
Benguet, Philippines
Pine
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Huangshan pine (Pinus hwangshanensis),
Anhui, China
Pine
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Ancient
Pinus longaeva,
Nevada, USA
9.
Agriculture
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Agriculture is the cultivation and breeding of animals, plants and fungi for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of human civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science, the history of agriculture dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies. Industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture farming has become the dominant agricultural methodology, genetically modified organisms are an increasing component of agriculture, although they are banned in several countries. Agricultural food production and water management are increasingly becoming global issues that are fostering debate on a number of fronts, the major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials. Specific foods include cereals, vegetables, fruits, oils, meats, fibers include cotton, wool, hemp, silk and flax. Raw materials include lumber and bamboo, other useful materials are also produced by plants, such as resins, dyes, drugs, perfumes, biofuels and ornamental products such as cut flowers and nursery plants. The word agriculture is a late Middle English adaptation of Latin agricultūra, from ager, field, Agriculture usually refers to human activities, although it is also observed in certain species of ant, termite and ambrosia beetle. To practice agriculture means to use resources to produce commodities which maintain life, including food, fiber, forest products, horticultural crops. This definition includes arable farming or agronomy, and horticulture, all terms for the growing of plants, even then, it is acknowledged that there is a large amount of knowledge transfer and overlap between silviculture and agriculture. In traditional farming, the two are often combined even on small landholdings, leading to the term agroforestry, Agriculture began independently in different parts of the globe, and included a diverse range of taxa. At least 11 separate regions of the Old and New World were involved as independent centers of origin, wild grains were collected and eaten from at least 105,000 years ago. Pigs were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 15,000 years ago, rice was domesticated in China between 13,500 and 8,200 years ago, followed by mung, soy and azuki beans. Sheep were domesticated in Mesopotamia between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago. From around 11,500 years ago, the eight Neolithic founder crops, emmer and einkorn wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chick peas and flax were cultivated in the Levant. Cattle were domesticated from the aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey. In the Andes of South America, the potato was domesticated between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago, along with beans, coca, llamas, alpacas, sugarcane and some root vegetables were domesticated in New Guinea around 9,000 years ago. Sorghum was domesticated in the Sahel region of Africa by 7,000 years ago, cotton was domesticated in Peru by 5,600 years ago, and was independently domesticated in Eurasia at an unknown time
Agriculture
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Agriculture
Agriculture
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Fields in
Záhorie (
Slovakia) - a typical Central European agricultural region.
Agriculture
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Domestic sheep and a
cow (heifer) pastured together in
South Africa.
Agriculture
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A
Sumerian harvester's sickle made from baked clay (ca. 3000 BC).
10.
Polaris
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Polaris, designated Alpha Ursae Minoris, commonly the North Star or Pole Star, is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. It is very close to the celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. The revised Hipparcos parallax gives a distance to Polaris of about 433 light-years, Polaris is a multiple star, comprising the main star in orbit with a smaller companion, the pair in orbit with Polaris B. There were once thought to be two more distant components—Polaris C and Polaris D—but these have been not to be physically associated with the Polaris system. Polaris Aa is a 4.5 solar mass F7 yellow supergiant of spectral type Ib and this is the first classical Cepheid to have a mass determined from its orbit. William Herschel discovered the star in 1780 while using a hand-built reflecting telescope, in 1929 it was discovered, by examining the spectrum of Polaris A, that it was a very close binary, with the secondary being a dwarf, which had been theorized in earlier observations. In January 2006, NASA released images, from the Hubble telescope, that showed the three members of the Polaris ternary system. The nearest dwarf star is in an orbit of only 18.5 au from Polaris A, about the distance between the Sun and Uranus), which explains why its light is swamped by its close and much brighter companion. Polaris A, the supergiant primary component, is a low-amplitude Population I classical Cepheid variable, cepheids constitute an important standard candle for determining distance, so Polaris, as the closest such star, is heavily studied. The variability of Polaris had been suspected since 1852, this variation was confirmed by Ejnar Hertzsprung in 1911, the range of brightness of Polaris during its pulsations is given as 1. 86–2.13, but the amplitude has changed since discovery. Prior to 1963, the amplitude was over 0.1 magnitude and was gradually decreasing. After 1966 it very rapidly decreased until it was less than 0.05 magnitude, since then and it has been reported that the amplitude is now increasing again, a reversal not seen in any other Cepheid. The period, roughly 4 days, has changed over time. It has steadily increased by around 4.5 seconds per year except for a hiatus in 1963–1965 and this was originally thought to be due to secular redward evolution across the Cepheid instability strip, but it may be due to interference between the primary and the first-overtone pulsation modes. Authors disagree on whether Polaris is a fundamental or first-overtone pulsator, the temperature of Polaris varies by only a small amount during its pulsations, but the amount of this variation is variable and unpredictable. The erratic changes of temperature and the amplitude of changes during each cycle, from less than 50 K to at least 170 K. Research reported in Science suggests that Polaris is 2.5 times brighter today than when Ptolemy observed it, because of its importance in celestial navigation, Polaris is known by numerous names. It became known as Polaris during the Renaissance, its derived from the Latin polaris of/near the pole
Polaris
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Polaris as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Polaris
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This artist's concept shows three class F stars: supergiant Polaris A, dwarf Polaris Ab, and its distant dwarf companion, Polaris B
Polaris
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A typical Northern Hemisphere star trail with Polaris in the center
Polaris
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Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in relation to Polaris
11.
Flag of the United States
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The flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag, is the national flag of the United States. S. Nicknames for the flag include The Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, the current design of the U. S. flag is its 27th, the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777. The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4,1959, the 50-star flag was ordered by the then president Eisenhower on August 21,1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the version of the U. S. flag and has been in use for over 56 years. At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, the flag contemporaneously known as the Continental Colors has historically been referred to as the first national flag. The name Grand Union was first applied to the Continental Colors by George Preble in his 1872 history of the American flag, the flag closely resembles the British East India Company flag of the era, and Sir Charles Fawcett argued in 1937 that the company flag inspired the design. Both flags could have been constructed by adding white stripes to a British Red Ensign. However, an East India Company flag could have nine to 13 stripes. In any case, both the stripes and the stars have precedents in classical heraldry, Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment. The first official U. S. flag flown during battle was on August 3,1777, Massachusetts reinforcements brought news of the adoption by Congress of the official flag to Fort Schuyler. A voucher is extant that Capt. Swartwout of Dutchess County was paid by Congress for his coat for the flag, the 1777 resolution was most probably meant to define a naval ensign. In the late 18th century, the notion of a flag did not yet exist. The flag resolution appears between other resolutions from the Marine Committee, on May 10,1779, Secretary of the Board of War Richard Peters expressed concern it is not yet settled what is the Standard of the United States. However, the term, Standard, referred to a standard for the Army of the United States. Each regiment was to carry the standard in addition to its regimental standard. The national standard was not a reference to the national or naval flag, the appearance was up to the maker of the flag. Some flag makers arranged the stars into one big star, in a circle or in rows, one arrangement features 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, with the stars arranged pointing outwards from the circle, the so-called Betsy Ross flag
Flag of the United States
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Oil painting depicting the 39 historical U.S. flags
Flag of the United States
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United States of America
Flag of the United States
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Astronaut
Buzz Aldrin salutes the
United States flag on the surface of the
moon during the
Apollo 11 mission.
Flag of the United States
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U.S. flag on
Mars (
Curiosity Rover, September 19, 2012).
12.
North American Vexillological Association
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The North American Vexillological Association is an American and Canadian membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith and others, the association is a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations, and is among the largest vexillological organizations. President, John M. Hartvigsen First Vice President, Luc Baronian, second Vice President, Ted McNabb Secretary, Lee Herold Treasurer, John S. Adcock, J. D. Editor, Raven, A Journal of Vexillology, Kenneth W. Reynolds, Ph. D. Editors, Flag Research Quarterly, Kenneth A. Hartvigsen, Ph. D. & Steven A. Knowlton, M. L. I. S Editor, NAVA News, the length of the top side of the blue triangle is the same as the width of the flag. The colors are taken from the flags of the two countries covered by the Association, Canada and the United States. Since 1967, the Association has held meetings across the United States and Canada for all those interested in flags to present and discuss research. Since 1977, it has marked each meeting with a distinctive flag, American City Flags, a book published by the Association
North American Vexillological Association
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NAVA 46
North American Vexillological Association
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Flag of the North American Vexillological Association.
13.
US State
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A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance
US State
–
U.S. states
14.
US Territory
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United States territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters and all U. S. naval vessels. The United States asserts sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving and this extent of territory is all the area belonging to, and under the dominion of, the United States federal government for administrative and other purposes. The United States total territory includes a subset of political divisions, the United States territory includes any geography under the control of the United States federal government. Various regions, districts, and divisions are under the supervision of the United States federal government, the United States territory includes clearly defined geographical area and refers to an area of land, air, or sea under jurisdiction of United States federal governmental authority. The extent of territory is all the area belonging to, and under the dominion of, under Article IV of the U. S. Constitution, territory is subject to and belongs to the United States. This includes tracts of land or water not included within the limits of any State, Congress possesses power to set territorial governments within the boundaries of the United States. The power of Congress over such territory is exclusive and universal, congressional legislation is subject to no control, unless in the case of ceded territory. The U. S. Congress is granted the exclusive and universal power to set a United States territorys political divisions, all territory under the control of the federal government is considered part of the United States for purposes of law. From 1901–1905, the U. S. Supreme Court in a series of known as the Insular Cases held that the Constitution extended ex proprio vigore to the territories. However, the Court in these cases also established the doctrine of territorial incorporation, a Supreme Court ruling from 1945 stated that the term United States can have three different meanings, in different contexts, The term United States may be used in any one of several senses. It may be merely the name of a sovereign occupying the position analogous to that of sovereigns in the family of nations. It may designate the territory over which the sovereignty of the United States extends, or it may be the name of the states which are united by. The United States Department of the Interior is charged with managing federal affairs within U. S. territory, the Interior Department has a wide range of responsibilities. The contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Alaska are divided into administrative regions. These are called counties in 48 of the 50 states, and they are called boroughs in Alaska, a county can include a number of cities and towns, or just a portion of either type. These counties have varying degrees of political and legal significance, a township in the United States refers to a small geographic area. Territories are subdivided into legally administered tracts—e. g, geographic areas that are under the authority of a government. The District of Columbia and territories are under the authority of Congress
US Territory
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Original copy of the
Constitution.
US Territory
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A map of the Earth, showing the fifty U.S. states in green.
US Territory
15.
Canadian province
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Canadas geography is divided into administrative divisions known as provinces and territories that are responsible for delivery of sub-national governance. Over its history, Canadas international borders have changed several times, the ten provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Several of the provinces were former British colonies, Quebec was originally a French colony, the three territories are Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon, which govern the rest of the area of the former British North America. Together, the provinces and territories make up the worlds second-largest country by area, the powers flowing from the Constitution Act are divided between the federal government and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively. In modern Canadian constitutional theory, the provinces are considered to be co-sovereign divisions, the territories are not sovereign, but simply part of the federal realm, and have a commissioner who represents the federal government. Notes, There are three territories in Canada, unlike the provinces, the territories of Canada have no inherent sovereignty and have only those powers delegated to them by the federal government. They include all of mainland Canada north of latitude 60° north and west of Hudson Bay, the following table lists the territories in order of precedence. Prior to Confederation, Ontario and Quebec were united as the Province of Canada, over the following years, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island were added as provinces. The Hudsons Bay Company controlled large swathes of western Canada referred to as Ruperts Land and the North-Western Territory until 1870, subsequently, the area was re-organized into the province of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. The remaining Arctic islands were transferred by Britain to Canada in 1880,1898 saw the Yukon Territory, later renamed simply as Yukon, carved from the parts of the Northwest Territories surrounding the Klondike gold fields. On September 1,1905, a portion of the Northwest Territories south of the 60th parallel north became the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 1912, the boundaries of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba were expanded northward, Manitobas to the 60° parallel, Ontarios to Hudson Bay, in 1907, Newfoundland acquired dominion status. In the middle of the Great Depression in Canada with Newfoundland facing a period of economic crisis. In 2001, it was officially renamed Newfoundland and Labrador, in 1903, the Alaska Panhandle Dispute fixed British Columbias northwestern boundary. This was one of two provinces in Canadian history to have its size reduced. In 1999, Nunavut was created from the portion of the Northwest Territories. Yukon lies in the portion of The North, while Nunavut is in the east. All three territories combined are the most sparsely populated region in Canada, covering 3,921,739 km2 in land area and they are often referred to as a single region, The North, for organisational and economic purposes
Canadian province
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"
O Canada we stand on guard for thee" Stained Glass, Yeo Hall,
Royal Military College of Canada features arms of the Canadian provinces and territories (1965)
Canadian province
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Alberta Legislature Building
Canadian province
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British Columbia Parliament Buildings
Canadian province
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Manitoba Legislative Building
16.
New England
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New England is a geographical region comprising six states of the northeast United States, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and south, the Atlantic Ocean is to the east and southeast, and Long Island Sound is to the south. Its largest metropolitan area is Greater Boston, which also includes Worcester, Manchester, ten years later, more Puritans settled north of Plymouth Colony in Boston, thus forming Massachusetts Bay Colony. Over the next 126 years, people in the region fought in four French and Indian Wars, until the British and their Iroquois allies defeated the French and their Algonquin allies in North America. In 1692, the town of Salem, Massachusetts and surrounding areas experienced one of the most infamous cases of hysteria in the history of the Western Hemisphere. The Boston Tea Party was a protest to which Britain responded with a series of punitive laws stripping Massachusetts of self-government, the confrontation led to the first battles of the American Revolutionary War in 1775, and the expulsion of the British authorities from the region in spring 1776. Each state is subdivided into small incorporated municipalities known as towns. The only unincorporated areas in the region exist in the populated northern regions of Vermont, New Hampshire. The region is one of the U. S. Census Bureaus nine regional divisions, the earliest known inhabitants of New England were American Indians who spoke a variety of the Eastern Algonquian languages. Prominent tribes included the Abenaki, Mikmaq, Penobscot, Pequot, Mohegans, Narragansett Indians, Pocumtuck, prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Western Abenakis inhabited New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as parts of Quebec and western Maine. Their principal town was Norridgewock in present-day Maine, the Penobscot lived along the Penobscot River in Maine. The Narragansett and smaller tribes under Narragansett sovereignty lived in most of modern-day Rhode Island, west of Narragansett Bay, the Wampanoag occupied southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and the islands of Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket. The Pocumtucks lived in Western Massachusetts, and the Mohegan and Pequot tribes in the Connecticut region, the Connecticut River Valley includes parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, and linked different indigenous communities culturally, linguistically, and politically. As early as 1600, French, Dutch, and English traders began exploring the New World, trading metal, glass, on April 10,1606, King James I of England issued a charter for each of the Virginia Companies, London and Plymouth. These were privately funded ventures, intended to land for England, conduct trade. In 1620, Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts was settled by Pilgrims from the Mayflower, in 1616, English explorer John Smith named the region New England. As the first colonists arrived in Plymouth, they wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact, the Massachusetts Bay Colony came to dominate the area and was established by royal charter in 1629 with its major town and port of Boston established in 1630. Massachusetts Puritans began to settle in Connecticut as early as 1633, roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts for heresy, led a group south, and founded Providence Plantation in the area that became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1636
New England
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Clockwise from top: skyline of Boston, Massachusetts financial district at night; a building of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; a view from Nubble Light on Cape Neddick, Maine; view from Mount Mansfield, Vermont; and a fisherman on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
New England
–
Emblem
New England
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Title page of John Smith's
A Description of New England (1616)
New England
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An early English map of New England, c. 1670, depicts the area around modern
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
17.
Ensign
–
Ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern of the ship, the naval ensign, used on warships, may be different from the civil ensign or the yacht ensign. Large versions of naval ensigns called battle ensigns are used when a warship goes into battle, the ensign differs from the jack which is flown from a jackstaff at the bow of a vessel. In its widest sense, an ensign is just a flag or other standard, the European military rank of ensign, once responsible for bearing a units standard derives from it. In contrast, the Arab rank of ensign, liwa, derives from the command of a unit or units with an ensign, not the carrier of such a units ensign, and is a general officer. In Arab armies, ensign is a title equivalent to a Western brigade. In nautical use, the ensign is flown on a ship or boat to indicate its appartenance, while this includes its nationality, it may well indicate more information rather than being the national flag itself. This is particularly common for commonwealth and European countries, ensigns are usually at the stern flagstaff when in port, and may be shifted to a gaff or mast amidships when the ship is under way, becoming known as a steaming ensign. Vexillologists distinguish three varieties of a national flag used as an ensign, A civil ensign is worn by merchant. In some countries the yacht ensign, used on boats or ships instead of merchant vessels. A state ensign or government ensign is worn by government vessels, a naval ensign is used by a countrys navy. Such ensigns are strictly regulated and indicate if the vessel is a warship, a merchant ship, several Commonwealth countries national flags had their origin in the ensigns of their original colonising power, the United Kingdom. Most notable of these flags are those of Australia, New Zealand. It is also likely that the original design from which the flag of the United States developed was strongly influenced by the British Red Ensign or the flag of the East India Company. With the creation of independent air forces and the growth in aviation in the first half of the 20th century. These may be divided into air force ensigns and civil air ensigns, in heraldry, an ensign is the ornament or sign, such as the crown, coronet, or mitre, borne above the charge or arms. Distinguishing mark Maritime flag Znamierowski, Alfred, the world encyclopedia of flags, The definitive guide to international flags, banners, standards and ensigns
Ensign
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National civil ensign of New Zealand flown from the stern of
Hikitia
Ensign
Ensign
18.
Flag of Massachusetts
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A variant of the white flag with blue seal was carried by each of the Massachusetts volunteer regiments during the Civil War alongside the National Colors. An exception were the two Irish regiments, each of which was permitted to carry a green flag with a harp symbol. The state currently has three flags, a state flag, a naval and maritime flag, and a governors flag. The flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts displays, on sides, the state coat of arms centered on a white field. The shield depicts an Algonquian Native American with bow and arrow, the arm itself is the Goliad symbol common in early Texas flags and signifying the philosophy that those represented would rather lose their right arm than live under tyranny. A white star with five points appears next to the figures head, a blue ribbon surrounds the shield, bearing the state motto Ense Petit Placidam, Sub Libertate Quietem. Above the shield is the military crest, the bent arm holding a broadsword aloft. The sword has its blade up, to remind that it was through the American Revolution that liberty was won, the state flag was officially adopted in 1901, but had been used unofficially since the American Revolutionary War as the ensign of the Massachusetts State Navy. In 1971, the pine tree was replaced by the current design. In April 1776, the Massachusetts Navy adopted, as its flag, a white field charged with a pine tree. In 1971 the motto was removed, and the flag was designated the naval, Massachusetts is one of only two states with its own naval ensign — the other is Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820. Flags of the Governors of the U. S
Flag of Massachusetts
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts
19.
20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
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The 133rd Engineer Battalion carries on the lineage and traditions of the 20th Maine. The 20th Maine was organized in the state of Maine and mustered into Federal service on August 29,1862, with Col. Adelbert Ames as its commander. It was assigned to the Army of the Potomac in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps, where it would remain until mustered out on July 16,1865. At that time, the brigade consisted of the 16th Michigan, the 12th, 17th, and 44th New York, 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry regiments. Col. Joshua Chamberlain to shield himself with a dead man, the unit was unable to participate in the Battle of Chancellorsville due to a quarantine prompted by a tainted smallpox vaccine that had been issued to the units soldiers. On May 20,1863, Colonel Ames was promoted and was succeeded as colonel of the regiment by Joshua Chamberlain, who had been offered and declined leadership of the unit at the time it was formed. The most notable battle was the decisive role on July 2,1863, in the Battle of Gettysburg. Had the 20th Maine retreated from the hill, the entire Union line would have been flanked, the 20th Maine had a total wartime enrollment of 1,621 men, losing 147 dead from combat,146 dead from disease,381 wounded, and 15 in Confederate prisons. The participation of the 20th Maine in the Battle of Fredericksburg is depicted in the movie God And Generals, the 20th Maine was also the subject of Ballad of the 20th of Maine, a song by the Maine band Ghost of Paul Revere. List of Maine Civil War units Maine in the American Civil War Chamberlain, Gettysburg, PA, Stan Clark Military Books. Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine, The 20th Maine and the Gettysburg Campaign, in the Hands of Providence, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the American Civil War. With a Flash of his Sword, The Writings of Maj. Holman S. Melcher, the Twentieth Maine, A Volunteer Regiment in the Civil War
20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
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Reunion of the 20th Maine, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1889
20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
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Flag of the 20th Maine
20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
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1889 veterans of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. General Joshua L. Chamberlain, the officer who commanded them in battle, seated at center right, bracketed by the Maltese Cross banner and the unit's regimental flag. Left is a monument to the unit erected by its veterans. Black and white photograph
20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
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The 20th Maine's left flank marker at Gettysburg battlefield.
20.
American Civil War
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The American Civil War was an internal conflict fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The Union faced secessionists in eleven Southern states grouped together as the Confederate States of America, the Union won the war, which remains the bloodiest in U. S. history. Among the 34 U. S. states in February 1861, War broke out in April 1861 when Confederates attacked the U. S. fortress of Fort Sumter. The Confederacy grew to eleven states, it claimed two more states, the Indian Territory, and the southern portions of the western territories of Arizona. The Confederacy was never recognized by the United States government nor by any foreign country. The states that remained loyal, including border states where slavery was legal, were known as the Union or the North, the war ended with the surrender of all the Confederate armies and the dissolution of the Confederate government in the spring of 1865. The war had its origin in the issue of slavery. The Confederacy collapsed and 4 million slaves were freed, but before his inauguration, seven slave states with cotton-based economies formed the Confederacy. The first six to declare secession had the highest proportions of slaves in their populations, the first seven with state legislatures to resolve for secession included split majorities for unionists Douglas and Bell in Georgia with 51% and Louisiana with 55%. Alabama had voted 46% for those unionists, Mississippi with 40%, Florida with 38%, Texas with 25%, of these, only Texas held a referendum on secession. Eight remaining slave states continued to reject calls for secession, outgoing Democratic President James Buchanan and the incoming Republicans rejected secession as illegal. Lincolns March 4,1861 inaugural address declared that his administration would not initiate a civil war, speaking directly to the Southern States, he reaffirmed, I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the United States where it exists. I believe I have no right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. After Confederate forces seized numerous federal forts within territory claimed by the Confederacy, efforts at compromise failed, the Confederates assumed that European countries were so dependent on King Cotton that they would intervene, but none did, and none recognized the new Confederate States of America. Hostilities began on April 12,1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, while in the Western Theater the Union made significant permanent gains, in the Eastern Theater, the battle was inconclusive in 1861–62. The autumn 1862 Confederate campaigns into Maryland and Kentucky failed, dissuading British intervention, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which made ending slavery a war goal. To the west, by summer 1862 the Union destroyed the Confederate river navy, then much of their western armies, the 1863 Union siege of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in two at the Mississippi River. In 1863, Robert E. Lees Confederate incursion north ended at the Battle of Gettysburg, Western successes led to Ulysses S. Grants command of all Union armies in 1864
American Civil War
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New Orleans the largest cotton exporting port for New England and Great Britain textile mills, shipping Mississippi River Valley goods from North, South and Border states.
American Civil War
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Clockwise from top:
Battle of Gettysburg,
Union Captain John Tidball's artillery,
Confederate prisoners,
ironclad USS Atlanta, ruins of
Richmond, Virginia,
Battle of Franklin
American Civil War
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Sen. Stephen Douglas, author of the
Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854
American Civil War
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Sen. John J. Crittenden, of the 1860
Crittenden Compromise
21.
Great Seal of the State of Maine
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The Great Seal of the State of Maine was adopted in June 1820. There have been variations in the details of the seal, but the overall design, the center of the seal is a shield adorned with a tranquil scene of a moose resting in a field bordered by water and woods, a pine tree stands tall directly behind the moose. On either side of the shield, a farmer rests on his scythe, above the shield is the motto Dirigo, and a stylized North Star. Below the shield is a banner that reads Maine, the legislature of 1919 decided that the design of the seal should no longer vary, and the design is still used today. Dīrigō is the motto of Maine, having once been the only state to hold its elections in September. The resolutions adopting the seal upon which this appears, give some insight into the meaning intended by the state motto. The motto and seal are used by the University of Maine, the motto has also been used for the name of the Dirigo Health Agency which oversees the state of Maines health care system. States Seals of the U. S. states List of Maine state symbols Flag of Maine The Great Seal of the State of Maine
Great Seal of the State of Maine
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Historical coat of arms (1876)
Great Seal of the State of Maine
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Great Seal of Maine
22.
Symbols of the State of Maine
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Maine is the northernmost state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Maine is the 39th most extensive and the 41st most populous of the U. S. states and territories and it is bordered by New Hampshire to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the north. Maine is the easternmost state in the contiguous United States, and it is known for its jagged, rocky coastline, low, rolling mountains, heavily forested interior, and picturesque waterways, and also its seafood cuisine, especially clams and lobster. There is a continental climate throughout the state, even in areas such as its most populous city of Portland. For thousands of years, indigenous peoples were the inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine. At the time of European arrival in what is now Maine, the first European settlement in the area was by the French in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. The first English settlement was the short-lived Popham Colony, established by the Plymouth Company in 1607, as Maine entered the 18th century, only a half dozen European settlements had survived. Loyalist and Patriot forces contended for Maines territory during the American Revolution, Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820, when it voted to secede from Massachusetts to become an independent state. On March 15,1820, it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise, there is no definitive explanation for the origin of the name Maine, but the most likely origin is the name given by early explorers after a province in France. Whatever the origin, the name was fixed for English settlers in 1665 when the English Kings Commissioners ordered that the Province of Maine be entered from then on in official records. The state legislature in 2001 adopted a resolution establishing Franco-American Day, other theories mention earlier places with similar names, or claim it is a nautical reference to the mainland. Attempts to uncover the history of the name of Maine began with James Sullivans 1795 History of the District of Maine. He made the allegation that the Province of Maine was a compliment to the queen of Charles I, Henrietta Maria. MAINE appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 in reference to the county of Dorset, the view generally held among British place name scholars is that Mayne in Dorset is Brythonic, corresponding to modern Welsh maen, plural main or meini. Some early spellings are, MAINE1086, MEINE1200, MEINES1204, mason had served with the Royal Navy in the Orkney Islands where the chief island is called Mainland, a possible name derivation for these English sailors. Initially, several tracts along the coast of New England were referred to as Main or Maine, Maine is the only state whose name has exactly one syllable. The original inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine were Algonquian-speaking Wabanaki peoples, including the Abenaki, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Penobscot, who had a loose confederacy. European contact with what is now called Maine started around 1200 CE when Norwegians interacted with the native Penobscot in present-day Hancock County, most likely through trade
Symbols of the State of Maine
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The coast of Maine near
Acadia National Park
Symbols of the State of Maine
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Flag
Symbols of the State of Maine
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Boothbay Harbor
Symbols of the State of Maine
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Autumn in Stratton
23.
Flags of the World
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Flags of the World is an Internet-based vexillological association and resource. Its principal project is the Internets largest website devoted to vexillology, containing information about all kinds of flags. The mailing list began as a group in about September 1993, while the website was founded by Giuseppe Bottasini in late 1994. FotW became the 56th member of the FIAV in 2001, both the website and the mailing list operate in the English language, though there are members from around the world and as such information from many languages is translated and included. The mailing list is monitored by the FOTW Listmaster, while work on the website is coordinated by the FOTW Editorial Director, the website is updated once a week with fresh material, some mirrors update monthly. Due to the amount of material there is an editing backlog. There are also some mirrors that have not been updated for varying periods of time, the source for material on the FOTW website are contributions to the FOTW mailing list, which has over 1000 members, of which some 100 are active contributors. The mailing list has notable minorities of Portuguese, French, Dutch, a staff of three unpaid volunteers manages and moderates the list. An affiliated Flags of the World Facebook group has established, inaugurated by Edward Mooney. As of November 2016 the group is run and moderated by a team of ten administrators, FOTW displays standardized flag images in GIF format, usually at a height of 216 pixels. While the GIF file format is capable of displaying 256 colours, the organizations flag is a design by Mark Sensen, which was selected over 10 challengers in a poll of FOTW mailing list members and was adopted 8 March 1996. Since then, March 8 has been regarded as FOTWs Flag day, Sensen described its symbolism, White on the hoist stands for peace, blue on the fly for progress. The six colours of the stars are the colours used in flags. The stars help to make one bigger symbol, the way the stars are all connected to each other represents the Internet. The flag is used as a rare representation of the Internet on a flag. List of flags List of flags by country Gallery of country flags Flags of the World Dictionary of Vexillology Flag Days Of The World FOTW mailing list
Flags of the World
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Official flag of FOTW
24.
U.S. state
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A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance
U.S. state
–
U.S. states
25.
Flag of Alabama
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The bars forming the cross shall be not less than six inches broad, and must extend diagonally across the flag from side to side. – The cross of St. Patrick referred to in the law is a diagonal cross, because the bars must be at least six inches wide, small representations of the Alabama flag do not meet the legal definition. On January 11,1861, the Alabama Secession Convention passed a resolution designating an official flag, designed by several women from Montgomery, final touches were made by Francis Corra of that city. One side of the flag displayed the Goddess of Liberty holding a sword in her right hand. Above the gold star appears the text Alabama in all capital letters, in an arch above this figure were the words Independent Now and Forever. The reverse side of the flag had a plant with a coiled rattlesnake. The text Noli Me Tangere, was placed below the cotton plant and this flag was sent to the governors office on February 10,1861. Due to damage from weather, the flag was never flown again. Alabamas current flag was adopted in 1895, the legislation introduced by Representative John W. A. Sanford Jr. stipulates that he flag of the state of Alabama shall be a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white. The bars forming the cross shall be not less than six inches broad, and must extend diagonally across the flag from side to side. Sanfords father, John W. A. Sanford, had commanded the 60th Alabama Infantry Regiment during the U. S. Civil War, the design of that regimental flag was a white saltire over a blue field with a circle of white stars surrounding the crossing. The regimental flag accompanied them through the end of the war and was surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, the saltire of Alabamas flag most closely resembles the saltire of the flag of Florida, which has its heritage in the Spanish Cross of Burgundy. Southern Alabama was originally part of Spanish Florida and subsequently West Florida, Alabamas flag is officially a St. Andrews cross as described in its legislation, and so is the Cross of Burgundy, representing the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified. It is sometimes believed that the saltire of the current flag of Alabama was designed to resemble the blue saltire of the Confederate Battle Flag. Many battle flags were square, and the flag of Alabama is sometimes depicted as square. The legislation that created the flag did not specify that the flag was to be square. The authors of a 1917 article in National Geographic expressed their opinion that because the Alabama flag was based on the Battle Flag, another remote, but possible inspiration was the flag carried by Co. The regiment was the only Alabama regiment in Ruckers Brigade, commanded by Col. Edmund Rucker of Tennessee, the flag of Ruckers brigade utilized a white background with a red saltire charged with 13 blue/green stars
Flag of Alabama
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St Andrew crucified on a diagonal cross. From a 14th century manuscript
Flag of Alabama
–
Alabama
26.
Flag of Alaska
–
The flag of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and Polaris, on a dark blue field. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a bear, as depicted on the flag, its stars can be used as a guide by the novice to locate Polaris and determine true north, which varies considerably from a magnetic north. The design was created by Benny Benson of Seward and selected from among roughly 700 entries in a 1927 contest. More than 30 years before Alaska was to become a state, up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U. S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. Bensons design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide in grades 7–12, most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded US$1,000, Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design. The flag flown by the Companys ships and their shore establishments was Russias commercial flag, the new Company flag design of 1806 placed the Imperial eagle in the upper left quarter of Russias commercial flag. In order that the State symbol remain unobstructed and more visible the width of the stripe was enlarged to cover roughly one half of the flags width. The normal width proportions of Russias commercial flag were equal thirds, the Imperial eagle carried a scroll which dipped into the blue stripe, also for more visibility, which read, in abbreviated form Russian American Companys. The symbolism of the scroll beneath the Imperial eagle compliments the official version of the Companys name Under His Imperial Majestys Protection Russian-American Company, the flag flew over Alaska until October 18,1867, when all Russian-American Company holdings in Alaska were sold to the United States. The Alaska Legislature adopted Bensons design as the flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2,1927. The first flag made based on Bennys design was made of silk and appliquéd gold stars. It was retained as the flag upon statehood in 1959. The flags symbolism is described in the song, Alaskas Flag. Symbols of the State of Alaska Seal of the State of Alaska Starry Plough Catalog of the Eight Stars exhibit at the Alaska State Museum, in PDF format
Flag of Alaska
–
Russian Empire
Flag of Alaska
–
Alaska
27.
Flag of Arizona
–
The flag of Arizona consists of 13 rays of red and weld-yellow on the top half, the colors of the flag of Spain, representing the 13 original states. The red and yellow also symbolize Arizonas picturesque sunsets, the copper star represents the copper mining industry in Arizona. The rest of the flag is colored blue, representing the Colorado River, during the rifle competition at Camp Perry, Ohio, the Arizona team was the only team without an emblem of any kind. Colonel Harris was chiefly responsible for the creation of the team flag that in 1917 became the Arizona State Flag. Blue and gold are the colors of Arizona, red and gold are the colors carried by Coronado’s Expedition of 1540 to the Seven Cities of Cibola. The blue is “liberty blue” identical to the color in the United States flag field of stars, since Arizona is a western state, the rays of the setting sun seemed appropriate. There are thirteen rays representing the original “thirteen colonies. ”The large copper star identifies Arizona as the largest producer of copper in the United States. While Colonel Harris is credited with the creation of the Rifle Team flag, W. R. Stewart of Mesa was working in conjunction with Colonel Charles W. Harris, who was the Arizona Adjutant General and head of the Arizona National Guard. Stewart, as President of the Mesa Rifle Team, felt compelled to design a flag for competition, stewarts wife sewed the first flag for competition from a sketch he had made on the back of an envelope. The Stewart/Harris version of the flags origin is due to Stewart dropping some copper dye and white material into boiling water. However, these early explorers never used the current Spanish flag, the flag was adopted on February 17,1917, by the 3rd Arizona Legislature. It was passed into law without the signature of Governor Thomas Campbell, the governor did not officially state his reasons for taking no action on the bill. To properly produce the flag, the height of the flag is two units high while the width is three units wide. The sun rays at the top are divided into 13 equal segments, starting with red, in the center of the flag, the copper star is one unit high, while the rest of the flag is covered by blue section measuring one unit high and three units wide. The colors of red and blue are the shade used on the flag of the United States. The specific colors of copper and gold have not been set down in law, the suggested flag size is four by six feet, with the star being two feet tall. Seal of Arizona List of Arizona state symbols Arizona flag history http, //www. mesaaz. gov/planning/RobsonHistoricDistrict. aspx
Flag of Arizona
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The specific colors of the copper-colored star have not been set down in law.
Flag of Arizona
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Arizona
28.
Flag of Arkansas
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The Flag of Arkansas, also known as the Arkansas flag, consists of a red field charged with a large blue-bordered white lozenge. Twenty-nine five-pointed stars appear on the flag, twenty-five small white stars within the blue border, the inscription ARKANSAS appears in blue within the white lozenge, with one star above and three stars below. The star above and the two stars below point upwards, the inner star below points downwards. It was designed by Willie Hocker of Wabbaseka, a member of the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, around 1912, the Pine Bluff Chapter of the DAR wished to present a state flag for the commissioning of the battleship USS Arkansas. When it was discovered that Arkansas did not have a state flag, Hocker, a member of the Pine Bluff DAR chapter, won with a design that is similar to the current flag. She designed the flag with three stars in the middle of the white diamond and omitted ARKANSAS. At the request of the committee, chaired by Secretary of State Earle Hodges, Hocker added ARKANSAS and rearranged the stars to one on top. This flag was adopted by the legislature on February 26,1913, in 1923, the legislature added a fourth star, representing the Confederate States of America. This fourth star was placed so that there were two stars above the state name and two below, this was to include the Confederacy alongside Spain, France, and the United States. The 1924 design was confirmed as law in 1987 by Act 116, in 2011, Act 1205 was signed by Governor Beebe adding some more details to the state flag. In the terms of colors, the red and blue used on the flag is Old Glory Red. The Act also stated that flags purchased by the Secretary of State must be manufactured in the United States, the flags elements have a complex symbolism. According to the 1987 state law defining the flag, the diamond represents Arkansas status as the only diamond-bearing state in the Union, the number of white stars around the border of the diamond represents Arkansas position as the 25th state to join the union. The blue star above ARKANSAS represents the Confederate States of America, the design of the border around the white diamond evokes the saltire found on the Confederate battle flag. The three stars below ARKANSAS have three meanings, The three nations to which Arkansas has belonged The Louisiana Purchase, which brought Arkansas into the U. S. was signed in 1803. Arkansas was the state formed from the Louisiana Purchase. However, that part of the statute contains two inaccuracies, The three stars were in a row in Hockers original design, they were not arranged in a triangle until later. Once that happened, it was finally admitted January 26,1837, the law defining the flag also defines a text to be used in saluting the flag, I salute the Arkansas Flag with its diamond and stars
Flag of Arkansas
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State of Arkansas
29.
Flag of California
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The Bear Flag is the official flag of the state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and was known as the Bear Flag. The first official version of the Bear Flag was adopted by the California State Legislature, the 1911 statute stated, The bear flag is hereby selected and adopted as the state flag of California. In 1953, the design and specifications for the flag were standardized in a bill signed by Governor Earl Warren. He shall, periodically, compile the laws and regulations regarding the State Flag, copies of the compilation shall be printed and made available to the public at cost by the Department of General Services. When the flag is displayed vertically, it is rotated 90 degrees clockwise such that the bear and star face upward, the flag is also used as the state ensign. The modern state flag is white with a red strip along the bottom. There is a red star in the left corner and a grizzly bear facing left in the center. The size of the bear is 2/3 the size of the hoist width and has a ratio of 2 by 1, the grass plot has a ratio of 11 to 1. The five-point star is taken from the California Lone Star Flag of 1836, the bear on the current flag of California is claimed to have been modeled on the last Californian grizzly bear in captivity. The bear, named Monarch, was captured in 1889 by newspaper reporter Allen Kelley, the bear was subsequently moved to Woodwards Gardens in San Francisco, and then to the zoo at Golden Gate Park. After the bears death in 1911, it was mounted and preserved at the Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park, the 1953 law includes an official black and white rendering of the bear as well as the plot of grass and brown tufts. This drawing and other specifications that define the flags colors and dimensions are identified as 54-J-03. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial, and Canadian provincial flags and ranked the flag of California 13th. The 1953 legislation defined the shades of the Californian flag with a total of five colors relative to the 9th edition of the Standard Color Card of America. It is one of only four US state flags that does not contain the color blue, Seal is used for the dark shading of the bear, the 12 darker tufts in the plot of grass, the border of the plot and the lettering CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC. Old Glory Red is used for the star, the bears tongue, irish Green is used for the grass plot. The bears claws are also accented with white, the left front and rear paws have four white claws while the right rear claw displays three
Flag of California
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"Monarch" the bear
Flag of California
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California
Flag of California
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Bear Flag monument on the
Sonoma Plaza
Flag of California
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Todd's original Bear Flag, photographed in 1890
30.
Flag of Colorado
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The flag of the state of Colorado consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width, the top and bottom stripes are blue, and the middle stripe white. On top of these stripes sits a circular red C, filled with a golden disk. The blue is meant to represent the skies, the stands for the sunshine enjoyed by the state, the white represents the snowcapped mountains. The flag was designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson in 1911 and adopted by the Colorado General Assembly on June 5 of the same year, however, the legislature did not specify the size of the C or the exact shade of blue or red. Thus, some flags were in different colors and had the C wholly within the center stripe. On February 28,1929, the General Assembly added to the description of the flag that the blue, on March 31,1964, the legislature further dictated the diameter of the gold disc to be equal to the center stripe. In a 2001 survey of 72 state, provincial, and territorial flags conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the Colorado state flag is also incorporated into the design of Colorados state highway markers. Colorado is the state to incorporate its entire, unaltered flag design into its State Route Marker
Flag of Colorado
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Colorado
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