National anthem

"State anthem" redirects here. For the songs of U.S. states, see List of U.S. state songs. "National Hymn" redirects here. For the U.S. hymn tune, see God of Our Fathers. For other uses, see National Anthem (disambiguation).

Hymn to liberty
Hymn to Liberty, the anthem of Greece. It is the longest national anthem in the world with 158 stanzas, although only the first two constitute the official anthem.[1]
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Part of a series on
Nationalism
Nation forming
Core values
Types
Organizations
List of nationalist organizations
Related concepts

A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation.[2] The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European nations tend towards more ornate and operatic pieces, while those in the Middle East, Oceania, Africa, and the Caribbean use a more simplistic fanfare.[3][failed verification] Some countries that are devolved into multiple constituent states have their own official musical compositions for them (such as with the United Kingdom, Russia, and the Soviet Union); their constituencies' songs are sometimes referred to as national anthems even though they are not sovereign states.

  1. ^ "Which Country Has the Longest National Anthem?". 21 June 2018.
  2. ^ "National anthem – The World Factbook". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  3. ^ Burton-Hill, Clemency (21 October 2014). "World Cup 2014: What makes a great national anthem?". BBC.com. Retrieved 26 March 2018.