In calendar 1949 April 4 is marked as a day of visiting NATO at the initiative of the United States.Treaty establishing the North Atlantic Treaty signed on this day in Washington, the heads of 12 states.Members of the organization have become the country with access to the Atlantic Ocean: the United States, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg and 2 Atlantic island countries - Iceland and the United Kingdom.The purpose of the contract - the strengthening of military security of these countries, with the mutual threat of armed aggression against the NATO members.In those postwar years, it began the "cold war" and the capitalist countries feared the Soviet Union.
Flag NATO
official symbol of the North Atlantic Alliance was approved in 1953, October 14th.The flag of NATO, for the first time shot up into the sky over Paris, is a rectangular blue cloth.In the center - a white emblem: a four-star in a circle.From rays oriented perpendicular to each other, moving away straight white line.
NATO flag designed in the proportions (conditional units): the parties have a ratio of 300: 400, 115 diameter circle rays - 150. The distance from the edge of the flag lines: length - 30, in width - 10.
What areshape and color of the flag of NATO
focuses a symbolism adopted by mankind long ago.Colours: blue - water (in this case - the Atlantic Ocean), white - perfection.Circle - a symbol of eternity and unity, star - properly chosen path (to the creation of the world), clear straight lines - strong union supporters.The orientation of the rays indicates a north-south-east-west: there are everywhere in the Atlantic Alliance's member countries.The headquarters of the organization (the capital of Belgium - Brussels) and wherever there are official representatives of the Alliance, including military courts, flies the flag of NATO.
Participating countries
Currently, the Alliance after his sixth expansion includes 28 countries.By 12 countries have joined the founders: Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania and Croatia.
Secretary General of NATO, the 13th in a row, in March 2014 he was elected to the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, who took the leadership of 01/10/2014
