DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - This Caribbean flag was first unfurled in 1844 after the Dominican Republic declared itself independent of Haiti despite the two nations sharing the island of Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic’s rectangular flag carries a central white cross which symbolizes peace and unity, and divides the flag into four equal rectangles. The upper left upper and lower right rectangles are ultramarine blue to represent the sky from which God rules and protects the nation. The remaining two rectangles are red to symbolize the bloodshed in the fight for independence. At the center of the cross lies the Dominican coat of arms which contains an open Bible. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world which has a Bible on its national flag.