These Brilliantly Honest Flags Give the Simplest, Most Accurate History of the World Ever

Impact

These "honest" flags from of various countries detail what you're actually likely to find in each nation, as opposed to their time-honored traditions and myths. 

Here's the best of them (h/t Imgur user andrewstnh):

1. United Kingdom

The British Empire in fact collapsed after World War II because of various factors including bankruptcy and a changing political environment, but the tea industry did shape British policy across the world.

2. United States of America

*Terms and conditions may include crappy internet, a shrinking middle class and lower income, increasing inequality, militarized police, and voting rights increasingly under attack. Also, don't even think about voting third party.

3. Australia

It's true. Australia has large numbers of potentially deadly animals. The top 30 list (yes, top 30) from Australian Geographic includes crocodiles, stonefish, the inland taipan (the world's most venomous snake), the Sydney funnel-web spider and the box jellyfish. Yeesh.

4. Portugal

They did, however, just tie with the U.S. in soccr.

5. Canada

Canada, though fully autonomous, is still technically one of the realms of the Queen of England. This comes with all kinds of weird and unnecessary formalisms and mutual involvement that doesn't affect day-to-day Canadian life, but is still kind of strange.

6. New Zealand

If you wanted to be really insufferable, you could even take a tour.

7. Italy

This is a bit of an overstatement. In 2007 Italy exported $7 billion in shoes, a small sector in an economy worth trillions.

8. Greece

The Acropolis is still occasionally the center of major social events in Greece, though. Like it was for these archaeologsts who protested outside its gates in 2013 against austerity cuts.

9. Russia

This is basically the foundation of all Russian jokes.

10. North Korea

Kim il-Sung is still officially North Korea's president after a constitutional amendment that had the late leader take the title into the grave. It doesn't matter, though, since the role of head of state has since laid with his descendents Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un. Both have held the titles of general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea and supreme commander of the Korean military.

11. Switzerland

The secret Swiss bank account of legend isn't what it used to be, unfortunately.