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Australian National Flag 
When the Australian colonies formed the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, the Union Jack (the flag of Great Britain) had been the official flag for 100 years. The new, independent Australia needed a new flag to identify itself in the world.
An official competition for a new flag design was arranged, which attracted entries from all over Australia and around the world. Five of the entries, which contained almost identical designs, were placed equal first. Apart from later, minor changes to the stars, these designs became the current Australian flag.
The flag first flew from the Exhibition Building in Melbourne on 3 September 1901. This date is now known as Australian National Flag Day. The Australian Flag is also known as the Commonwealth Blue Ensign.
The Australian Flag consists of three parts set on a blue field. The first part is the Union Jack, illustrating the link with Britain. The second part is the Southern Cross (a constellation of stars only visible in the Southern Hemisphere), representing Australia. Finally, the Commonwealth Star represents Australia's federal system. Originally, the Commonwealth Star had six points (for the six states), but, in 1908 a seventh point was added to represent the Territories of the Commonwealth.
The Australian national flag is the only flag in the whole world to fly over an entire continent.
Related weblinks -
• Find out more about the flag here - http://www.anbg.gov.au/oz/flag.html
• And also here - http://www.australianflag.biz/history.htm