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1.) Eighteen countries in the world have a cross on their national flag.

2.) There are numerous forms of the cross and amongst the most popular are the Christians cross, the Crucifix, St. Peter’s Cross and St. Andrew’s cross.

3.) The cross is the most popular symbol of Christianity, the religion founded by Jesus Christ and the world’s largest religion.

4.) The cross is the emblem of the Aryan pantheon and the primitive Aryan civilization.

5.) The cross is regarded as the mystic representation of lightning or of the god of the tempest.

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6.) Christians were not the first to use the cross as a religious symbol. Ancient Egyptians used it in the form called Ankh which is also known as key of life, the key of the Nile or crux ansata.

7.) Hitler or his Nazi government was not the first to use the swastika, a unique form of the cross.

8.) The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form or its mirrored left-facing form.

9.) Archeologically, swastika-shaped ornaments have been found in Ancient India and remains widely used in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.

10.) The cross as a Christian symbol came into use as early as the 2^nd century and the marking of a cross upon the forehead and the chest was regarded as a talisman against the powers of demons.

11.) In the 4^th century, Constantine the Great adopted the cross as the symbol of his banner.

12.) The cross is a reminder to Christians of Gods act of love by taking away the sin of the world and that Jesus won over sin and death.

13.) The Feast of the Cross, an important Christian feast, is celebrated in 12 different dates in the calendar known as Great Feasts.

14.) One of the 12 Great Feast is the Exaltation of the Cross which is celebrated every September 14. This feast commemorates the consecration of the basilica on the site the original cross of Jesus was discovered in 326.

15.) One Christian denomination that does not accept the use of the cross as a symbol of Christianity is the Jehovah’s Witness.

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16.)  A cross or summit cross was erected in 1851 on the top of Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany

17.) Another summit cross was erected in Mount Royal in Quebec, Canada. The first Mount Royal Cross was erected in 1643.

18.) Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City, Philippines is one of the city’s most iconic landmark and most popular tourist attraction. It was erected by Magellan in the 16^th century.

19.) The world’s highest cross is the one located in Valle de los Caidos. This gigantic cross, with a height of 150-meter and can be seen as far as 32 km, is located near Madrid in Spain.

20.) One of the biggest crosses in the world is the Millennium Cross in Skopje, Macedonia. It is 66 meters in height.