ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Flag

A flag is a piece of cloth with different colors, shapes or designs on it that represents a country, a group of people or an organization. It’s like a special symbol that helps people identify something or someone.

Let's imagine you have a favorite color, let say it's red. And in your class, there are some students who also love red. You can choose to make a special red flag with your name or your group's name on it. That will show everyone that you and your friends are part of the red team.

The same goes for countries, each country has its own flag with different shapes and colors that represent that country. For example, the US flag (stars and stripes) has 50 white stars on a blue background, along with 13 horizontal stripes; the red and white stripes represent the 13 original colonies, and the stars represent each of the 50 states. When people see the US flag, they think about the United States of America.

Overall, a flag is a special way to show different groups and countries, and when people see the flag, they can recognize and identify what it represents.