The NATO flag - the official symbol of the Alliance

In the calendar 1949, April 4 is marked as the day of appearance of NATO on the initiative of the United States. The Treaty establishing the North Atlantic Alliance on this day signed at Washington by the heads of 12 States. Members of the organization were countries with access to the Atlantic ocean: USA, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg and the 2 island country of the Atlantic - Iceland and the UK. The Treaty aims to strengthen the military security of these countries, assistance with the threat of armed aggression to the member of NATO. In those postwar years, the cold war, the capitalist countries feared the Soviet Union.

NATO Flag

The Official symbol of the Alliance was approved in 1953 14 Oct. The NATO flag for the first time, rising up into the sky over Paris, is a rectangular blue flag. In the centre of a white emblem: four-pointed star in the circle. From rays oriented perpendicular to each other, depart straight white line.

The Flag of NATO is designed in the proportions (conditional units): the parties have a ratio of 300:400, a circle with a diameter of 115, the beams 150. The distance of the lines from the edges of the flag: length - 30, width - 10.

What is the meaning of shape and color

The NATO Flag amalgamate symbols adopted by humanity a long time. Colors: blue - water (in this case the Atlantic ocean), white - perfection. The circle, symbol of eternity and unity, the star is correctly chosen way (to the creation of the world), clear straight lines - a strong Union of like-minded people. The orientation of the rays indicates the North-South-West-East: elsewhere in the Atlantic there are countries-members of the Alliance. In the headquarters of the organization (capital of Belgium - Bruxelles) and wherever there are official representatives of the Alliance, including military courts, flies the NATO flag.

Participating Countries

Currently, the Alliance after its sixth expansion includes 28 countries. By 12 countries-founders have joined: Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania and Croatia.

NATO Secretary General, 13-m account, in March 2014, was elected to the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, assumed leadership 01.10.2014