The national flag of Armenia consists of three horizontal bands, colored red, blue and orange. There are many interpertations on the meanings of the colors, but a widely accepted one is that the red symbolizes the blood spilt by Armenians in defense of their country, orange symbolizes the fertile soil of the nation, and blue is for the sky. The flag was originally the official flag of the nation during it's short independence after World War I, and was brought back after Armenia broke away from the Soviet Union.