Flag of Myanmar / Burma (JPG)

Flag of Myanmar / Burma (jpg)

The flag of Burma (also called Myanmar) was adopted on January 3, 1974 upon the declaration of a socialist republic in Burma by Ne Win.The flag originated in the Burman Resistance, which adopted a red flag with a white star when fighting the occupying Japanese forces during World War II. Upon independence, the star was modified to a blue canton with 5 small stars surrounding one large one, symbolizing the uniting of the country's diverse peoples. Red stands for the courage of the people, blue is for peace, and white is for purity. The emblem was changed in 1974 to represent the new socialist ideology in the country. The 5 stars were changed to 14, encircling a cogwheel and a rice plant. The rice stands for agriculture, the cogwheel represents industry, the 14 stars represent the unity and equality between the 14 member states of the Union.