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We all know how indisputably cool the Welsh flag is.

Most other nations have bands of colours or shapes symbolising their country, while we are represented by a massive fire-breathing dragon.

It's synonymous with Welsh culture and identity and it accurately represents the fierce pride many of us feel for the nation we call home.

In fact, we are just one of three countries globally - from around 200 in total - that have a dragon on the national flag.

And now, just to make it official, the Welsh flag has been acknowledged as one of the coolest in the world in a massive global survey.

Ranker, a worldwide digital polling website, asked the population of the planet to cast their vote on "The Coolest National Flags."

Ranked from best to worst by the number of votes by the sites 49 million monthly visitors, it includes the coolest flags from any country on earth.

Voters are advised that when considering which country has the best flag, they need to consider a few things. The design should be "simple and "memorable" plus "worthy of the nation it represents".

Voters are also encouraged to place a vote for those they think are simply "just really, really cool."

But where does Wales rank?

The poll, which has had almost 184,000 votes from across the world, has listed the Welsh flag (at the time of writing on February 28) as the coolest national flag on the entire planet - jumping from third place to first in the past few days.

With 5,510 votes at the time of writing, our country's emblem has toped the poll and is followed closely by South Korea and Albania (according the website's slightly weird voting system).

However, the poll remains open, and in honour of St David's Day , you can cast your vote for the dragon on the flag.

You don't have to register or provide any personal details. Just upvote to keep it at the top of the rankings.

You can vote the Welsh flag as the coolest national flag here .

But why do we have a massive dragon on our flag?

Although the dragon has been associated with Wales for centuries, the Welsh flag was only granted official status in 1959.

But the reason we have a great big dragon on our nations flag is one of myth and folklore.

As with any ancient symbol, its appearance has been adapted and changed over time with countless variations cropping up in historical records.

While the precise origins of the symbol are difficult to trace, there are theories suggesting where the dragon could have originated.

During the Roman occupation of UK, the Roman cavalry are believed to have worn a dragon emblem on their pennants and standards.

Draco standards were used between 250 and 400 AD and were typically carried by cavalry units.

They consisted of a hollow beast's head made of metal with a windsock-style cloth tail descending from the rear of the head.

The standards were used in a number of forms after the Romans left Britain - including by the Welsh kings of Aberffraw who used the emblem to symbolise their authority in the early fifth century.

The dragon later became widely associated with Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon who was king of Gwynedd from about 655 to 682AD.

(Image: Peter Powell/Propaganda)

In 1400, Owain Glyndŵr raised the dragon during his revolt against Henry IV, echoing its role in Welsh mythology as a symbol of resistance.

The Welsh flag had also been a standard of Henry Tudor, based on the medieval Welsh dragon, but this was later replaced by the Scottish unicorn of the Stuarts.

The reason Wales was not represented on the Union Flag because it was already incorporated with England at the point of the Acts of the Union in 1706 and 1707 and is therefore represented only by the St George's Cross.