There are 196 countries in the world today,

and virtually none of them have purple on their national flag.

Throughout history, purple was never used to represent a kingdom, civilization or empire.

So, what's wrong with purple?

It's such a popular color today.

Why would no country use it in their flag?

The answer is really quite simple.

Purple was just far too expensive.

No countries have purple on their flag, because up until the 1800s,

purple was worth more than its weight in gold.

The color purple has been associated with royalty, power, and wealth for centuries.

In fact, Queen Elizabeth I forbade anyone except close members of the royal family to wear it.

Purple 's elite status stems from the rarity and cost of the dye originally used to produce it.

The dye initially used to make purple came from the Phoenician trading city of Tyre,

which is now in modern-day Lebanon.

Fabric traders obtained the dye from a small sea snail

that was only found in the Tyre region of the Mediterranean.

A lot of work went into producing the dye,

as more than 10, 000 snails were needed to create just 1 gram of Tyrian purple.

Since only wealthy rulers could afford to buy and wear the color,

it became associated with the imperial classes of Rome, Egypt, and Persia.

Purple also came to represent spirituality and holiness,

because the ancient emperors, kings, and queens that wore the color

were often thought of as gods or descendants of the gods.

Sometimes however, the dye was too expensive even for royalty.

3rd century Roman emperor Aurelian famously wouldn't allow his wife to buy a shawl made from Tyrian purple silk,

because it literally cost 3 times its weight in gold.

A single pound of dye cost 3 pounds of gold, which is the equivalent of $ 56, 000 today.

So, since the sheer price of purple was so astronomically high, no one,

not even the richest nations could afford to have purple on their flag.

The hue became more accessible to lower classes about a century and a half ago.

In 1856, 18 - year-old English chemist, William Henry Perkin, accidentally created a synthetic purple compound

while attempting to synthesize quinine, an anti - malaria drug.

He noticed that the compound could be used to dye fabrics,

so he patented the dye, manufactured it, and got filthy rich.

Purple dye was then mass - produced, so just about everybody could afford it.

The elite stopped valuing purple, and the status symbol faded away,

but the country flags remain the same.

Since 1900, a handful of new national flags have been designed,

and a few of them have opted to use purple in their flag.

So, don't be making any bets just yet.