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Content accurate at time of publication
01 Dec 2011
From nationalistic symbols to local icons and purely functional labels, licence plates reflect the history and soul of a country. BY NICK WALTON
1. CANADA
Registration plates for private and commercial vehicles usually include local slogans and symbols. Yukon plates bear the image of a prospector panning for gold, while those in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are in the shape of a polar bear (above). Special plates are issued on occasion, such as the 2010 Winter Olympics’ image of Mount Garibaldi.
2. USA
Licence plates here have amassed a pop culture following thanks to the civic pride and rivalry between states. The first plates, introduced in 1903, were made of rubber, leather, iron and porcelain. Many states use slogans and mascots or iconic symbols like California’s palm trees and sunset (above), or the bucking bronco of Wyoming.
3. MYANMAR
The country of five million has some 150,000 registered cars. The plates here are distinct, with the curved characters of the Burmese alphabet making for some artistic and eye-catching plates. Burmese characters were only introduced in 1953, before which English characters were used.
4. AUSTRIA
The tiny mountainous nation wears nationalism on its sleeve and number plates. Government-issued ones bear insignias that represent the national flag in white and red, or the national coat of arms, as well as the blue stripe of the EU, making them quite distinct on Europe’s highways.
5. CHINA
To ease Beijing’s traffic congestion, the government has limited the number of new licence plates that can be issued in 2011 to 240,000; car buyers will even have to draw lots to get a car plate. Since October 2010, the number four – which in the Chinese language sounds like the word for death – has been scrapped from plates as it is considered bad luck.
6. MEXICO
Each of its 31 states issues a different design – Oaxaca’s (above) features Benito Juarez, Mexico’s President from 1861 to 1872 – and bears the state’s coat of arms. Classifications range from private to diplomatic, and even one for privately-owned vehicles registered in areas bordering the US.
PHOTOS GETTY IMAGES
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