Country and Flag Origins - Part M2

Once again, I have no idea what to type into this section. I don't know why I bother really. In case you're wondering, the M2 in the title page thumbnail picture is from the Warsaw metro system, line M2. It has nothing to do with this blog apart from the name. I'm sure the Warsaw Metro system is a fine service providing high frequency transportation for the good folk of Poland's capital, however in this blog it's just a little picture to brighten up the title page. I apologize to all Varsovians, for any misunderstanding. If you came here for a blog about your city, you will be sorely disappointed, however please be consoled by the following entries about countries and their flags that begin with the letter M. The countries begin with M, not necessarily the flags.

On we go with the first one...

The flag of Mauritius was adopted in 1968 after their independence from Britain. The red colour represents the struggle for freedom and independence, (unusually, no mention of blood), the blue stands for the Indian Ocean, the yellow symbolises the light of freedom, and the green is for agriculture and the islands year round colour. These colours also represent the political parties which existed at the time of it's creation. Red for the Workers or Labour Party, blue for PMSD or Social Democrats, yellow for IFB (Independent Forward Bloc), and green for the CAM, an Islamist party.

In 1598, a Dutch fleet called the island Mauritius, naming it after Prince Maurice van Nassau, the leader of the Dutch republic. It was later seized by the French and renamed Ile de France, however when Britain took over during the Napoleonic Wars, they renamed it Mauritius. It is called Ile Maurice in French and Moris in Mauritian Creole.

MAURITIUS - NAMED AFTER MAURICE VAN NASSAU

The green colour of the Mexican flag originally symbolised independence, but now it is for hope. The white was initially for the Catholic religion but is now for purity. And the red, historically represented unity and equality, but now symbolizes the blood of heroes. The coat of arms in the centre depicts an eagle eating a snake while standing on a cactus, and was based on the Aztec symbol for Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City, that was the centre of the Aztec Empire. It is thought that such an eagle devined where the Aztecs were to set up their main city.

Mexihco was the Aztec term for the heartland of their empire. When the city of Tenochtitlan became Mexico City, the country was named after it. It was originally known as New Spain. Mexihco translates to "place in the navel of the moon".  There are currently no theories as to what this refers to.

MEXICO = PLACE IN THE NAVEL OF THE MOON

The background colours of the Moldovan flag is based on the flag of neighbouring Romania, and symbolises the two countries cultural and national affinity. The blue represents peace, unity and purity. The yellow symbolises wealth prosperity and the nations agriculture. The red colour stands for courage, bravery and bloodshed. The coat of arms of Moldova, featuring an eagle holding a cross and a shield depicting an auroch's head is in the centre of the flag.

The name of Moldova derives from the name of the river that flowed through the Principality of Moldavia. The origin of the river's name in unknown, however folklore describes a hunting dog of Prince Drago, that exhausted after hunting auroch's fell into the river and drowned. The river was named after the dog, Molda.

MOLDOVA = NAMED AFTER THE RIVER MOLDOVA

The Monaco flag is similar to Indonesia and Poland, the red on Indonesia's is slightly lighter in shade, and Poland's is reversed with the red on the bottom. The colours have represented the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339. The red colour symbolises the flesh of the body and the white colour represents the purity of the soul.

Monaco's name comes from a nearby 6th century Greek colony. Legend has it that Hercules passed through Monaco and purged earlier God's from the land. Because of this a temple was built. It being the only temple it was called Monoikos, from the Greek words monos meaning "alone or single" and oikos meaning "house".

MONACO = SINGLE HOUSE

The blue stripe of the Mongolian flag represents the eternal blue sky, whilst the red colour stands for eternity. In the left red stripe is a traditional Mongolian Soyombo symbol. This symbol is a special character in the Soyombo language and was created in 1686. The symbol is made up of representations of fire, sun, crescent moon, two triangles, two horizontal rectangles, the yin and yang design and two vertical rectangles. Each element has a meaning. Fire for eternal growth, wealth, and success. The three points represent the past, present, and future. The sun and moon stand for the existence for eternity of the Mongolian people. The two downward triangles for the spears and defeated enemies. The horizontal rectangles represent the honesty and justice of the people of Mongolia, whether at the top or bottom of society. The vertical rectangles represent the walls of a fort and of the strength of the people. The yin yang is interpreted as fish symbolising vigilance because fish do not close their eyes. Phew!

The name of Mongolia is Latin for "Land of the Mongols". The origin of the word Mongol is uncertain but is thought to have come from the legendary warrior from the 4th century, Mugulu.

MONGOLIA = LAND OF THE MONGOLS

The red colour of the flag represents the country's history and the blood of it's people. The gold border stands for the wealth and prosperity of the country. The coat of arms in the centre is a traditional symbol of Montenegro that represents independence and sovereignty. The eagles heads are turned to the east and west symbolising the country's desire to be a bridge between the two. The crown represents the country's royal heritage, while the shield with lion represents strength and courage.

Montenegro is a direct translation from the country's name of Crna Gora. This means literally, Black Mountain. This is referring to Mount Lovcen which was covered in dense evergreen forest.

MONTENEGRO = BLACK MOUNTAIN

The Moroccan flag was adopted in 1915, the red background symbolises the blood of ancestors and unity. The green pentagram represents the five pillars of Islam.

Morocco is the anglicised version of the country's Spanish name, Marruecos, which is derived from the name of the city of Marrakesh. The first vowel in the English name has been changed, probably influenced by the name of the Moor people. Morocco's Arabic name is al-Maghrib meaning "Land of the sunset" or "the west" referring to the country's western limit to the religion of Islam.

MOROCCO = NAMED AFTER MARRAKESH

According to the Mozambique constitution, the red colour represents anti-colonial resistance and national defence, green is for the country's soil, black is for the African continent, yellow stands for the subsoil of the country, and the white colour represents peace and the justice of the struggle of the people of Mozambique. The star symbolises the solidarity of the people, while the book, hoe and gun symbolise education, production and defence.

The country got it's name from the Portuguese who named it after the Island of Mozambique, which was named after the Omani explorer and trader Mossa Al Bique who lived there in the 15th century.

MOZAMBIQUE = NAMED AFTER MOSSA AL BIQUE

The flag of Myanmar was adopted in 2010. The yellow colour represents solidarity, the green stands for peace and tranquillity as well as the greenery of the country, and the red symbolizes courage and decisive action. The white star represents the country itself and the importance of the union of its regions.

The former name of Myanmar was Burma. There are disputes over the name with some still referring to the country by it's old name. Both of these names derive from similar words in the Burmese language, Mranma or Mramma. These names referred to the native Burman people and the etymology of their name is unknown, although there is a theory that it comes from the Sanskrit, Brahma Desha meaning "land of Brahma". Brahma is a Hindu God known as "the Creator".

MYANMAR (BURMA) = LAND OF THE BURMAN

That's that then, all of the M countries finished in two sections. Next up will be, obviously, the N countries. All eleven of them in one episode. But that is for later.

Whilst I am writing this I am being distracted by a film on TV, Carry on Loving, a British comedy movie from the 1960's that is part of a long list of "Carry On" films that are in the franchise. All are set in different scenarios, this particular one revolves around a dating agency. They are all of their time and definitely not politically correct in this day and age. Nowadays, they are not thought to be very funny, but if, like me, you are of a certain age, it is a different story. This particular movie is not the best in the series to be honest, that accolade, in my opinion anyway, was Carry On Up The Khyber. This was set in the days of the British Raj in India. Like I said, not too PC in todays world.

Why not try out these quizzes about the "Carry On" films by these JetPunk users....

Euronick61

BazMcHat

toowise oh, that's me!

Anyway, enough self promotion, that's it for now, see you soon with my next blog about the N countries and their flags.