Country and Flag Origins - Part C2

Well, here we are again, it doesn't seem like five minutes since I published the first half of the C countries blog. That's probably because it isn't, I finished the last one, and was on a bit of a roll, so thought I'd just crack on with the introduction for this one. You know how I ramble on in these bits. It's a bit like a stand-up comedian that's forgotten his lines, and is just wittering on expecting a laugh that never arrives.

In this blog we shall carry on with the C countries, there's eight in all in this blog, one less than the last time, so unless Tanzania decide to change their name to one beginning with the letter C, then eight is all you're getting in this one. I could have used any country there, I didn't pick out Tanzania for any specific reason, just that it came into my head first, well done Tanzania.

So anyway, without further ado, lets get onto the second part of the C's, from the "Award-Winning" Blog Author, toowise....

The national flag of Comoros was designed and adopted in 2001. The four stripes represent the four main islands of Comoros, as do the four stars. Although one of the islands is Mayotte,(white stripe) that is a French department, but is claimed by Comoros. The other islands are Moheli (yellow), Anjouan (red) and Grand Comore (blue). The crescent and green background symbolise the main religion of Islam.

The name of Comoros derives from the Arabic word qamar, which translates to "moon".

COMOROS = MOON

The DRC's flag was adopted in 2006, but is similar to a flag that was used by the country between 1966 and 1971, just a lighter shade of blue is now used. The blue colour represents peace. The red of the flag stands for the blood of the country's martyrs and the yellow for the country's wealth. The yellow star symbolises the future of the country. The flag is one of only six national flags that exhibit a diagonal stripe.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is unsurprisingly named after the Congo River that runs through it. The river was named after the indigenous people of the area, the kongo. Former names of the DRC are Zaire, Republic of the Congo-Leopoldville, Belgian Congo, and Congo Free State. It was named the Democratic Republic to distinguish it from it's neighbour, the Republic of Congo. It is also known colloquially as Big Congo.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO = NAMED AFTER THE CONGO RIVER.

Originally adopted in 1959 to replace the French tricolour, it was used until a regime change in 1970 brought in the People's Republic of Congo. When the regime collapsed in 1991, the pre 1970 flag was quickly restored. the green colour symbolises the forests and agriculture of the country, and the yellow represents the "friendship and nobility" of the Congolese people. According to Wikipedia, the red is left unexplained. However, the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Congo in Washington, DC explains that the red colour is "associated with blood to symbolize the struggle of independence". I would think that an Embassy of the country is a slightly better source than Wikipedia.

As you probably guessed, the Republic of Congo is named after the River Congo in the same way as the Democratic republic of the Congo, I don't think I need to type it all out again, you're all intelligent people.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO = NAMED AFTER THE CONGO RIVER

The symbolism of the flag of Costa Rica shares it's ideals with the French Revolution of 1848, the year it was first flown. According to Costa Rica's own website, "the dark blue represents the sky, idealism, opportunities and perseverance.  The white stripes represent peace, wisdom, and happiness.  The red stands for the blood spilled by martyrs defending the country, as well as the warmth and generosity of the Costa Ricans".

The name Costa Rica is Spanish for "Rich Coast" and we have to look back to our old friend Chris Columbus for the reasons why. Apparently, old Chris turned up at the eastern shores of Costa Rica, although it wasn't called that then, on his last voyage in 1502. He reported that the natives wore large quantities of gold jewellery. There is another similar theory that another explorer, Gil Gonzalez Davila, rocked up to the western shores in 1522, and obtained gold from the indigenous people, sometimes as gifts, but also by him taking them with violence. Nice guy!

COSTA RICA = RICH COAST

The Croatian flag combines the colours of three Kingdoms, Croatia (red and white), Slavonia (blue and white) and partially Dalmatia (blue and yellow). In the centre is a shield depicting the red and white chequerboard which is a symbol of Croatia which dates back to at least the 11th century. Above the shield is a crown consisting of the historical arms of Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia.

I mistakenly thought that Croatia stood for "Land of the Croats", however the name derives from the Medieval Latin word, Croātia, which itself comes from the Northwest Slavic word, Xərwate, and still further back from the Proto-Ossetian, xurvæt, which is thought to mean "one who protects". In the local Croatian language the country is called Hrvatska. There are many other theories to the origin of the name, most of them refer to someone brave, or heroic, so basically a protector.

CROATIA = PROTECTOR

Anti-colonial movements against the Spanish occupation of Cuba used the flag prior to it's official adoption in 1902. It was actually designed in 1849, and the three blue stripes represent the three departments that Cuba was divided into at that time. The white stripes signify the purity of the patriot cause, and the red triangle is a symbol of strength, constancy and Masonic influences. Triangles are a Masonic symbol for equality. The star represents the liberty of the people and independence.

There is no exact meaning of the name Cuba, however, it is thought to come from one of two different words in the Taino language of the Caribbean. It is either cubao meaning "where fertile land is abundant" or from the word coabana which means "great place". Make up your own mind.

CUBA = GREAT PLACE or WHERE FERTILE LAND IS ABUNDANT

And so we come to Cyprus, that controversial island at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. This country's flag came into use in 1960. The design of the flag is supposed to reflect the peace between the two communities on the island, the Greek and Turkish. This hasn't yet been accomplished, a fact that can be seen by the continued UN buffer zone that splits the island into two parts. The white background and the green olive branches are both symbols of peace, and the orange colour of the island map represents the large copper deposits on the island.

The actual origin of the name is unknown, but there are three main theories. One is that it is named after the Mediterranean Cypress tree, another cites the Greek name for the Henna tree, kýpros. The third theory is that it comes from the Etocypriot word for copper, that we know there are deposits of on the island.

CYPRUS = NAMED AFTER EITHER A TREE OR COPPER

The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, kept the flag of Czechoslovakia when the country divided into two in 1992. Slovakia adopted their own flag which will be discussed in a later blog. The traditional colours of the flag originated in an 1192 coat of arms. The original flag was just red and white similar to Poland, however the blue triangle was added in 1912. The white symbolises peace and honesty, the red represents courage and hardiness in war, and the blue stands for justice, truth, and loyalty.

The government of the Czech Republic declared that it prefers the term Czechia as the English name for the country. The name derives from the word Čech, which comes from leader of the Slavic tribe, the Češi, or Čechové, that brought the people to the land of Bohemia. The meaning of Czech is thought to be from Proto-Slavic and means "kinsman".

CZECH REPUBLIC (CZECHIA) = LAND OF THE KINSMAN

Phew, that was fast. But what do you expect from an award winning blogger!. The real reason though, is that I finished work earlier than expected yesterday, and then again today (19/3/25 or 3/19/25 if you're American) so I had a little more time on my hands, especially when the wife is at work, the dogs are fed and exercised, and I hate daytime TV. So, nothing else for it but to hammer out the next episode of the blog.

That's all the C countries finished. Next, I think is D, let me check, yup, D is next in the alphabet, so for the sake of continuity, it will be the next part, Part D, if you like. Now as you probably know, there are only a mere four countries on this globe that start with a D. Two have similar names, Dominica and Dominican Republic plus Denmark and Djabooti, Dejabute, Djibouti. I think the next blog will be considerably shorter. I'll try and waffle on a bit more, that should do it.

That's it for now, I'll C you later. C what I did there, and again, there. My talents have no bounds, that's probably why I'm award-winning. Don't worry, I'll stop going on about it soon. Maybe.