foreign flags

     A flag is more than just a symbol or decoration. A flag marks or claims a piece of territory. When we see the American flag, we are sure that it is flying over American territory. When we see a picture of the American flag flying somewhere, we assume that the picture was taken in the United States or in a United States territory. A nation's flag also flies over its embassy. The United States of America has embassies in foreign countries, and foreign countries have embassies in the United States. An ambassador works in each embassy, to help with relations between his or her country and the country hosting the embassy.
   National flags are also used in some displays. They are displayed during the Olympic Games, and at the United Nations building in New York, where ambassadors from many countries meet. There are precise rules as to how flags of this kind should be displayed, usually including a display of the flag of the host country alongside and above any foreign flag. We wouldn't like to think that someone was flying a foreign flag in America to claim some of our country for a foreign nation.