On April 4, the 1949 calendar is marked as the day NATO appeared on the initiative of the United States. The agreement on the creation of the North Atlantic Alliance on this day was signed in Washington by the heads of 12 states. The countries that have access to the Atlantic Ocean became the members of the organization: USA, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg and 2 Atlantic island countries - Iceland and Great Britain. The purpose of the treaty is to strengthen the military security of these countries, mutual assistance in the threat of armed aggression against a member of NATO. In the post-war years, the Cold War broke out, and the capitalist countries feared the Soviet Union.
NATO flag
The official symbol of the North Atlantic Alliance was approved in 1953 on October 14. The NATO flag, first flown up in the sky over Paris, is a rectangular blue cloth. In the center is a white emblem: a four-rayed star in a circle. Straight white lines extend from rays oriented perpendicular to each other.
The NATO flag is designed in proportions (conventional units): the sides have a ratio of 300: 400, a circle with a diameter of 115, rays - 150. The distance of the lines from the edge of the flag: length - 30, width - 10.
What do the shapes and color mean?
The NATO flag concentrates within itself the symbolism accepted by mankind for a long time. Colors: blue - water (in this case, the Atlantic Ocean), white - perfection. The circle is a symbol of eternity and unity, the star is the right path (to the creation of the world), clear straight lines are a strong union of like-minded people. The orientation of the rays indicates north-south-west-east: everywhere in the Atlantic there are member countries of the Alliance. The NATO flag flies at the organization’s headquarters (the capital of Belgium, Brussels) and wherever the Alliance’s official representatives are located, including on military ships.
