Why is there a maple leaf in the centre of the Canadian flag? What is the eagle on the white background of the Mexican flag carrying in its beak? Is it just by chance that the Middle Eastern countries all have flags in the same colors? These and many other questions about national flags are answered in this richly illustrated volume, which gives historical information and geographical notions, but also many curiosities about the specific characteristics of the various flags and the nations they represent. The colours, the symbols and the patterns on the flags conceal ancient legends that have been told since the start of time. The reader will be taken on a journey that goes beyond the continents and the nations and delves into myth and history, to discover much more about the world we live in.