Flag, Portuguese national

   Portugal's national flag was adopted under the First Republic on 19 June 1911. In the center of two fields of bright green and red, which symbolize Portugal's land and the blood shed for the good of the nation, are two shields superimposed on an armillary sphere in yellow. Most significant is the use of the symbol of the armillary sphere, which suggests Portugal's historic role in exploration of the globe and the spirit of scientific discovery. All regimes since the First Republic have adopted this flag unchanged. The armillary sphere was an ancient astronomical device comprised of a globe surrounded by rings, which represented celestial movements and their measurement.