Southern Cross
The Southern Cross is thought to represent Australia's position in the Southern Hemisphere (see Southern Cross Flag). It has been used as a symbol of Australia since in the 1820's when there were crown colonies of the British Empire in Australia. The National Colonial Flag for Australia was the first such concept to depict the Southern Cross.
Some claim that the Southern Cross is not explicitly Australian but could represent any nation at all in the southern hemisphere. As well as the Australian flag, it also already appears on the flags of Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and New Zealand.
Read more about this topic: Australian Flag Debate
Famous quotes containing the words southern and/or cross:
“My mother bore me in the southern wild,
And I am black, but O! my soul is white;”
—William Blake (1757–1827)
“Expecting me to grovel,
she carefully covers both feet
with the hem of her skirt.
She pretends to hide
a coming smile
and won’t look straight at me.
When I talk to her,
she chats with her friend
in cross tones.
Even this slim girl’s rising anger
delights me,
let alone her deep love.”
—Amaru (c. seventh century A.D.)