«Flag of Brazil». Professor Teixeira Mendes together with several astronomers and painter Decio Vilares designed the draft of the Brazilian flag. The flag has truly unique design – the globe in the center of the flag shows the night sky exactly as it could be observed on November 15, 1889 at 8:30 am from Rio de Janeiro (on this day the Brazilian monarchy was brought down). Every single star in the sky represents one state (and the Federal District where Brasília the capital is located). The globe is surrounded by a yellow diamond, which is set in a green background. The inscription “Ordem e Progresso” on a white ribbon, which goes through the globe, means “Order and Progress” (in English). After the monarchy was brought down, a flag similar to the US flag had been adopted; however, it was withdrawn after 4 days for the reason of excessive similarity. Source: http://flagpedia.net/brazil