Countries and flags (The Expanse)

This page is just to show the flags and emblems in The Expanse scenario.

Mercury
Mercury is controlled by the Democratic Republic of Mercury. The flag of the Democratic Republic of Mercury is made up of a bottom yellow and top red part, with a device in the middle, the device is the symbol for Mercury, the red represents the blood that was spilled during the Mercury civil war, the last war Mercury actively participated in. The yellow represents both the ground, the riches of the planet and the heat.

Venus
Venus is a special planet as it is not really controlled by anyone. Most of the cities govern themselves. Even Mars and Terra control parts of Venus, though these are only small. The major power on Venus is the Venusian Confederacy. It was founded as a way to ease tensions between two cities on the planet (Niobe and New-Cyprus). It controls about a third of all cities of the planet. The flag of the confederacy has a device that is the symbol of Venus with an olive branch around it, as a symbol of peace. On the bottom we have some red mountains representing the planet‘s surface and the yellow represents the atmospher and Sol. The reason why the device floats above the mountains is as a way to represent the floating cities on Venus.

Terra
Terra is together with Mars the major power in the Sol system. It is controlled by the TR. It was formed from the UN as nations gave up their sovereignty in order to protect themselves from climate change. The design of the flag of the TR consists of seven rings intersecting each other and a deep-blue-sea in the background. The rings are centered on the flag forming a flower in the middle, representing life on Earth. The intersection of the rings represent that all things on Earth are linked directly or indirectly. The rings are organized in a Borromean rings–like fashion, representing not only the seven continents, but how no part of Earth can be removed without the whole structure collapsing. Finally, the deep-blue represents the ocean and the importance of water for life on Earth.

Luna
Luna is controlled by the Lunar Protectorate. This government was established after the Lunar Independence Movement (LIM) managed to take control of the moon. The government has similar views and ideology to Terra. Being a protectorate it gets most of its defense from Terra, though it does have its own fleet and is planning on expanding that one in order to become more independent from Terra. The flag of Luna is black, representing space with a white circle as a device representing both Luna and Sol, with in the middle the astronomical symbol of Luna.

Mars
Mars is controlled by the Martian republic, a congressional republic that values the military as an essential part of Martian culture. The planet was originally colonized by Terra and a part of Terra, Mars wanted independence pretty early on, mostly because the majority of resources mined on Mars were shipped to Terra. Eventually Mars gained independence after several negotiations and became one of the 2 superpowers inside the Sol system, the other one being Terra. The flag is split into 2 segments, the yellow/orange-ish top represents the surface, allong with light and prosperity, the black on the bottom represents the void of space. The central black circle in the middle with the red part represents Mars during the morning or evening. The 2 circles represen the 2 moons Phobos and Deimos, originally neither one definitely represented 1 moon, but after the destruction of Deimos, the black circle became Deimos and the orange one Phobos.

Phobos and Deimos
Phobos and Deimos are the 2 moons of Mars, they aren’t colonized but instead house military bases. Phobos is the largest of the two moons, it is home to a military testing facility that specializes in genetic manipulation. The moon only has an emblem and not a flag. The emblem has the astronomical symbol for Phobos in the center and the symbol of Mars in the corner, representing how it is a part of the planet. The black represents space. Deimos was the second and smaller moon. It was home to a military facility that was armed to the teeth. With machine guns, rail guns and torpedo launchers. The moon was at any given point surrounded by a fleet of Martian cruisers. Just like Phobos the moon only has an emblem, the astronomical symbol of Deimos is at the center and the symbol for Mars is for the same reason as with Phobos in the corner. The moon was destroyed by Terra using 15 torpedoes, causing the Paranoia Wat (3002-3005).

Jovian Alliance
The Jovian Alliance is one of 3 nations in the outer Sol system. The Jovian system was originally home to several small outposts and habitats which were under control of either Terra or Mars. Eventually most of these outposts declared independence. Because of Terran and Martian aggression, the moons of Jupiter united and formed the Jovian Alliance. The flag of the Jovian alliance is made up of 2 big brownish bands, representing Jupiter, the device in the center is the astronomical symbol for Jupiter and the four red stars represent the four Galilean moons. Io is the only one of the Galilean moons that isn’t a part of the Jovian Alliance since it does not have a population. The four Galilean moons also have their own flags. From left to right and from top to bottom they are: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

United States of Saturn
The United States of Saturn or USS is a nation that controls the planet Saturn, its rings and almost all of its moons. The nation splits its area up into 27 states (Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Mimas, Methone, Pallene, North-Enceladus, South-Enceladus, North-Tethys, South-Tethys, Telesto, Calypso, North-Dione, South-Dione, Helene, Polydeuces, North-Rhea, South-Rhea, North-Hyperion, South-Hyperion, North-Iapetus, South-Iapetus, Phoebe) and 13 provinces (Saturn, D-ring, C-ring, B-ring, A-ring, F-ring, G-ring, Aegaeon, Inner E-ring, Middle E-ring, Outer E-ring, Rhea Base, Titan). Each state and province has a similar level of control as a state had in the old USA. The flag of the USS is split into two areas, the one on the right is made up of 13 colored lines alternating between red and white, these represent the 13 provinces. The left side has an image of the planet Saturn on a blue background, representing ice, the nation’s most important export, the planet is surrounded by 27 stars, representing the 27 states.

Outer System Alliance
The Outer System Alliance (OSA) is an alliance between the governments of the Caelean and Neptunian systems and the majority of colonies in the Kuiper belt. The capital is the hanging city Acmon, located on Ouranos. The device in the center of the flag represents Sol allong with Caelus and Neptune and the Kuiper Belt. The 8-pointed star represents wisdom, the blue band is space, whilst the red bands represent the blood that was shed during the independence war.