> How many stars can be found on the Flag of the European Union?And the answer: twelve. Also known as the European flag, the Flag of the European Union features acircle of 12 gold stars on a blue background. The circle of stars has nothing todo with the number of member countries, but rather is a symbol of unity.Photo credit: public domain.As a signifier of the unity and identity of Europe,the stars on the European flag stand for ideals of unity, solidarity, andharmony among the people of Europe. In 1955, the Council of Europe — whichdefends human rights and promotes European culture — chose the present designfor its own use. In the years that followed, it encouraged the emerging Europeaninstitutions to adopt the same flag. By 1985, it was adopted by all EU leadersas the official emblem of the European Communities, later to become the EuropeanUnion. The symbolic and heraldic descriptions of the flag state:> "Against the background of blue sky, twelve golden stars form a circlerepresenting the union of the peoples of Europe. The number of stars is fixed,twelve being the symbol of perfection and unity ... on an azure field, a circleof twelve golden mullets, their points not touching."Why twelve stars, you ask? Well, simply put, twelve is considered to be an idealnumber. The number twelve provided the foundation of the Babylonian numericalsystem (called duodecimal for that reason). There are also 12 signs of thezodiac, 12 months of the year, 12 hours of the day, 12 hours of the night, 12Egyptian gods, 12 Olympian deities who formed the Greek pantheon, 12 laps in thechariot races of ancient Greece, 12 labors of Hercules in Greek mythology, 12tables making up the first codification of Roman law, 12 knights of KingArthur’s Round Table in Celtic tradition, and 12 gates of Paradise inScandinavia. Dare we go on? We dare not. Learn more about the European flag here[https://www.coe.int/en/web/about-us/the-european-flag].