Switzerland Has A Square Flag
Why is the nurse wearing the Swiss flag on her armband?
Interesting Facts in Easy English
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- Vatican City: the state in Rome where the Pope resides
- sovereign state: a region where people and their government live inside a border
- ensign: a flag or banner
- humanitarian: related to the assistance of humans in need
- generic: related to a general group or idea rather than a specific brand or organization
- erroneously: in error; incorrectly
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | More
Switzerland Has A Square Flag
Comprehension Questions
- Why is the shape of the Swiss flag interesting?
- Who is Henri Dunant?
- What is the difference between the Swiss Flag and the Red Cross flag?
Discussion Questions:
show Answershide Answers
Switzerland Has A Square Flag
Other than Vatican City, Switzerland is the only sovereign state that has a square flag. The flag features a red background and a white cross. The Swiss flag was adopted in 1889, and is one of the oldest flags in the world. It was first used as a military ensign in the 1300s. The humanitarian movement known as The Red Cross uses the inverted colour scheme for its flag as a tribute to its founder Henri Dunant who was Swiss. The Red Cross emblem is often used in a generic way to identify medical equipment, personnel, and facilities. You will often see it on First Aid kits or on hospital signs. These medical emblems often erroneously feature the Swiss colours instead of the Red Cross colours. For example, it is not uncommon to see an emergency service worker wearing a uniform with a Swiss flag on it.
- The shape of the Swiss flag is interesting because it is the only sovereign state, other than Vatican City, that has a square flag.
- Henri Dunant was the founder of the Red Cross.
- The Swiss Flag has a red background and a white cross while the Red Cross flag is inverted. It has a red cross and a white background.
