Caribbean Ensigns And Flags
It must have been in 2001, that we traveled to the Dominican Republic, from Amsterdam via Paris and St. Maarten. We did so for the purpose of celebrating Christmas in more of a tropical environment. We stayed for about 7 days in a resort near the town of Punta Cana, which is located on the east side of the island, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
During my stay in the Caribbean I could not help but notice the beautiful national flag of this republic, hoisted on Dominican flag poles throughout the island. Unlike a good number of other civil and state ensigns, this ensign could be considered one of many world historical flags. Adopted back in 1844, some 150 years ago, the design of the national banner was produced by a certain Juan Duarte, who has always had some controversy surround his being.
Neighboring country of Haiti flies a similar national ensign, in terms of especially the use of flag colors, which are the colors blue and red. It is said that these colors have specific representation. Blue represents the country and people’s freedom and the color red the blood that was shed in the people’s effort to seek independence. Interestingly, this specific meaning is not unique to the Dominican Republic alone.
The national flag and state and war ensign have a ratio of two to three. The same applies to the official ensign, which does not feature the country’s coat of arms in the middle. The smaller sized coat of arms is surrounded by laurel and palm branches, the shield of the state coat of arms carries the national colors and a cross, and a Bible, thus representing the Christian religion.
As aforementioned, other flag-variants are hosted on Dominican flag poles. These ensigns include and are called: the air force-, the naval-, and the Presidential ensign. The republic’s army also flies their unique design. Like the national banner, the ratio of these flags is also two to three.
The folks in this country and on this island speak mostly Spanish. Some ten million people inhabit this republic, and with nearly 19,000 square miles, the Dominican Republic is the 2nd largest nation in the area of the Caribbean. Also, the republic also has the second largest economy in the Caribbean, which I find interesting considering the number of afflicted people I saw out there during my visit to the eastern part of the territory.
The national ensign of this country is a fitting representation of Dominican history. Hoisted on Dominican flag poles of all kinds, this ensign flies beautifully in different weather conditions.
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