The Portuguese Republic

Brief history
Founded in 1152 AD by Don Afonso Henriques, Portugal is the Western most country in Europe with a total population of 12 million and 90,854 Sq. Km. (35,490 Sq. mi.) comprising the Azores and Madeira Atlantic Islands.

Flag

Meanning of the symbols and colors:

The five blue shields represent the five Morisco kings Don Afonso Henriques (the father of the Portuguese kingdom) defeated in the Ourique battle. The white shield with the five small blue shields inside is the Armour of Don Afonso Henriques. The lengend has it that in the Ourique battle the cruxified Christ appeared before Don Afonso Henriques and said: "With this sign (the white shield), you will win!". The dots inside each of the blue shield represents the five wounds of Christ. Counting the number of dots in the shields, doubling the ones in the center shield, yields a total of thirty dots representing the thirty silver pieces Judas received for having betraied Jesus Christ. The seven castles around the white shield represent the fortified locations that Don Afonso Henriques conquered to the Moriscos. The yellow sphere represents the world that Portuguese navigators discovered in the fifteen (XV) and sixteen (XVI) centuries as well as the people with whom they exchanged ideas and trade with. The green color represents hope and the red the courage and the blood of the portuguese fallen in combat.
Authors of the flag: Columbano, João Chagas and Abel Botelho.