Flag of Portugal green was harder to come up with, given that it was not a traditional colour of the Portuguese flag's history. Eventually, it was justified on the grounds that, during the 1891 insurrection, this was the colour present on the revolutionary flag that "sparked the redeeming lightning" of republicanism. Finally, white (on the shield) represented "a beautiful and fraternal colour, into which all other colours merge themselves, colour of simplicity, of harmony and peace", adding that "it is this same colour that, charged with enthusiasm and faith by the red cross of Christ, marks the Discoveries epic cycle". The Manueline armillary
Flag of the Republic of Macedonia Flag of the Republic of Macedonia The national flag of the Republic of Macedonia () depicts a stylised yellow sun on a red field, with eight broadening rays extending from the centre to the edge of the field. It was created by Prof. Miroslav Grčev and was adopted on 5 October 1995 after a one-year economic blockade imposed by Greece in order to force the Republic of Macedonia to remove the Vergina Sun, a symbol from the gravesite of the ancient Kings of Macedon from the flag, as Greece considered it a Greek symbol. The new eight-rayed sun represents "the