In the 1949 calendar, April 4 is marked as the day of the emergence of NATO at the initiative of the United States. The treaty establishing the North Atlantic Alliance was signed in Washington that day by the heads of 12 states. The countries with access to the Atlantic Ocean became members of the organization: the USA, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg and 2 island countries of the Atlantic - Iceland and Great Britain. The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen the military security of these countries, mutual assistance in the event of a threat of armed aggression against a NATO member. In those post-war years, the Cold War began, and the capitalist countries feared the Soviet Union.
NATO Flag
The official symbol of the North Atlantic Alliance was approved in 1953 on October 14th. The NATO flag, first flown into the sky over Paris, is a rectangular blue panel. In the center is a white emblem: a four-pointed star in a circle. Straight white lines extend from beams oriented perpendicular to each other.
The NATO flag is in proportions (conventional units of measurement): 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: along the length - 30, along the width - 10.
What do the shapes andcolor
The NATO flag embodies 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 beams points to the north-south-west-east: everywhere in the Atlantic there are member countries of the Alliance. At the headquarters of the organization (the capital of Belgium - Brussels) and everywhere where official representatives of the Alliance are located, including on military courts, the NATO flag flies.
Member countries
Currently, the Alliance, after its sixth expansion, includes 28 countries. Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania and Croatia joined the 12 founding countries.
Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg was elected as the 13th Secretary General of NATO in March 2014, who assumed leadership on 01.10.2014
