The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1872 ▶︎

Middle East and Africa


red, white crescent and star
Turkey
red, white disc, red crescent and star
Tunis
red, three white crescents-and-stars
Egypt
red, yellow crescent, 8-pointed yellow star
Jebel Shammar
green, white crescent
Nejd
green, three white crescents
Tripoli 11 The most commonly reported flag from the period. Flags with green, white and red stripes also seem to have been used. Probably flown exclusively on ships. The Turkish flag was the official national flag.
plain red
Morocco 22 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram.
plain red
Muscat and Oman · Zanzibar · Bahrain 33 Arab monarchies, especially those in and around the Gulf, flew plain red flags from their ships. These weren't quite "national flags" in the modern sense, but European powers tended to view them that way.
red, thick white outline
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah 44 Officially all of the Trucial States were supposed to fly a square red flag with a thick white border. In practice this flag became exclusively associated with the Al Qasimi dynasty. The other states mostly flew plain red flags.
white-red
Madagascar
white, yellow lion and sun
Persia
white, cedar tree
Mount Lebanon
white pennant, green inscription
Futa Jallon
plain green
Sokoto Caliphate
green flag of Islam 55 Flown by exclusively by the sultan as a symbol of religious authority. Not really a "national flag" as we'd understand it in modern terms. The sultan also gave white flags to his vassal emirs within the Caliphate.
7 white-orange stripes, Dutch flag
Orange Free State
red-white-blue, green stripe
South African Republic (Transvaal)
11 red-white stripes, blue canton, white star
Liberia

Western Europe


blue-white-red
France
green-white-red, coat of arms
Italy
national flag 66 Flown by private citizens and merchant ships. The "Italian Social Republic", the Nazi puppet regime in the north, flew the plain tricolour as a national flag and had a war flag with an eagle gripping a fasces. The anti-fascist Italian partisans flew either plain tricolours or tricolours with a white or red star on the middle stripe.
green-white-red, crowned coat of arms
Italy
state flag 77 Flown by the government and navy.
black-yellow-red
Belgium
black-yellow
Austria
Imperial colours 88 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
red-white-red, coat of arms
Austria
naval flag 99 Flown by navy ships. Direct predecessor of the modern Austrian flag.
red-white-blue
Netherlands
red-white-azure
Luxembourg
black-white-red
Germany
red-yellow-red, coat of arms
Spain
red-yellow-blue, crown
Andorra
red, white square cross
Switzerland
army flag 1010 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
red, white nordic cross
Denmark
national flag 1111 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut
Denmark
sovereign flag 1212 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies.
red, white-blue nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union canton
Norway
merchant flag 1313 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
red, white-blue nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union canton, swallowtail cut
Norway
state flag 1414 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
blue, yellow nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union mark
Sweden
merchant flag 1515 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
blue, yellow nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union mark, swallowtail cut
Sweden
war flag 1616 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
blue, white cross
Greece
land flag 1717 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
9 blue-white stripes, blue canton containing a white cross
Greece
sea flag 1818 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
red-blue, white cross
Samos
blue, red-white pinwheel saltire outlined in white, red cross outlined in white
United Kingdom
white, red cross
England
blue, white saltire
Scotland
white, red saltire
Jersey
white-blue, coat of arms
San Marino
yellow-red
Liechtenstein
princely flag 1919 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
blue-white, coat of arms
Portugal
white-red
Malta
traditional flag 2020 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships.
white, coat of arms
Monaco
9 red-yellow stripes
Catalonia
black, white cross
Cornwall
white, black moors head emblem
Corsica
white, red dragon
Wales
blue, white falcon
Iceland
green, yellow harp
Ireland
yellow, black lion
Flanders
green-red-white
Heligoland

Eastern Europe


yellow, black two-headed eagle
Russia
Imperial standard 2121 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
black-yellow-white
Russia
armorial flag 2222 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
white-blue-red
Russia
trade flag 2323 Flown by merchant ships.
white-blue-red
Carniola
national colours 2424 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
white-blue-red
Slovakia 2525 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
blue-white
Croatia and Slavonia
red-blue-white
Serbia
national flag 2626 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red-blue-white, coat of arms and four white six-pointed stars
Serbia
state flag 2727 Flown the government and armed forces.
red-white-green, coat of arms
Hungary
blue-yellow-red
Romania
yellow-blue
Ukraine 2828 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
white-red
Bohemia
state colours 2929 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Bohemia. Not an official flag, but informally regarded as a Czech national symbol. A white flag with the Bohemian coat of arms was also sometimes used.
red, white two-headed eagle, yellow lion
Montenegro
batallion flag 3030 Flown by the prince and the military.
red, white eagle
Poland
banner 3131 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
green, gold lion, slogan
Bulgaria 3232 A typical flag flown by Bulgarian nationalists and revolutionaries in the pre-independence period. The flag would sometimes have different inscriptions or colours, but a golden lion on green was a common element. The slogan here reads "Freedom or Death!"

South Asia and the Indian Ocean


orange, two sets of green-white-green-green-white stripes, coat of arms, Urdu inscriptions
Hyderabad
yellow, thick red stripe
Jammu and Kashmir 3333 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
red double-tailed pennant outlined in green, white moon, white sun
Nepal
red swallowtail with white feet in the top left
Jhabua 3434 The raja's flag was rectangular
red swallowtail, white feet
Dewas
red swallowtail, image of Garuda
Kota
princely flag 3535 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
plain red pennant
Maldive Islands
three red triangular pennants
Kishangarh
red triangular pennant
Sailana
two purple triangular pennants, white Hanuman, yellow sun
Ajaigarh 3636 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
purple triangular pennant, yellow sun moon and building
Mewar 3737 Mewar had a number of reported princely banners which were also sometimes used as state flags. The most common one had a large yellow sun and a blue katar dagger.
orange triangular pennant, thick purple border
Porbandar
orange swallowtail
Kolhapur 3838 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
orange-yellow striped swallowtail pennant
Dhar
green triangular pennant
Jaora
red-white-yellow-green-blue striped triangular pennant
Jaipur
red-green-white-blue-yellow
Alwar
pink-blue-red-yellow-green
Idar
orange-green-red-blue-white
Sirohi
orange-white-red-yellow-green
Jodhpur
orange, yellow sun between two white snakes
Gwalior
princely flag 3939 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
yellow-red, umbrella
Jaisalmer
red-orange
Bikaner
red, yellow border
Banswara
blue-yellow
Dholpur
orange, yellow sun
Rajpipla
princely flag 4040 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
purple-white
Rajpipla
national flag 4141 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
red-white
Indore 4242 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
green-red striped pennant, white crescent and star, white swords
Kalat
red, white shell
Travancore
red, white serpent emblem
Manipur
red, white image of Hanuman between two gold weapons
Rajgarh
white, yellow sun
Sitamau 4343 The Raja's flag had a red sun
plain yellow
Bundi
12 red-white stripes
Alirajpur
7 red-white stripes
Khairpur

East, Central and Southeast Asia


white, red circle
Japan
yellow pennant, blue dragon chasing a red orb
China 4444 Flown by naval ships.
red outlined in blue, white temple
Cambodia
red, white elephant
Siam
red, white and gold elephant
Luang Prabang
blue, white royal emblem
Champassak
white, peacock
Burma
plain white
Kelantan · Perak · Terengganu 4545 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
plain white
Jambi
sultan's flag 4646 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
blue, white canton
Jambi
nobles' flag 4747 Flown by nobles at sea.
blue, white canton
Jambi
merchant flag 4848 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
plain black
Pahang
sultan's flag 4949 Flown by the sultan.
plain yellow
Brunei
sultan's flag 5050 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
yellow, vertically divided black-red cross, yellow crown
Sarawak
yellow-red quarters, yellow crescent and star
Selangor
yellow-blue
Perlis
black, red canton, white crescent and star
Johor
state flag 5151 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
blue, red canton, white crescent and star
Johor
merchant flag 5252 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
plain red
Kedah
red, white crescent and 8-pointed star
Kashgaria
red, white crescent and 8-pointed star
Aceh
national flag 5353 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire.
red, white crossed swords, white circle
Aceh
sultan's flag 5454 Flown by the sultan and by warships. There are many other reported flags from the era, and it's not clear exactly how they were all used. Merchant ships often flew a plain red flag.
purple, ornate white gate, two thin blue-white stripes
Sulu 5555 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.

Oceania


blue-white, coat of arms
Fiji
red, white canton, red cross
Tonga
red, white maltese cross
ʻUvea
red-white-red, red maltese cross
Rimatara
red-white-red, French flag outlined in white
Tahiti
red-white-red, three blue stars
Rarotonga
white-blue-white, white star, four blue stars
Mangareva
white-red,
Rurutu
white-red-white
Huahine
5 white-red stripes
Raʻiatea
5 red-white stripes
Bora Bora
four-by-four red-white chequerboard
Tahuata
9 blue-white stripes, red canton, four white stars and two white crescents
Samoa
white-red-blue-white-red-blue-white-red, union jack
Hawaiʻi
white British ensign, blue cross with 5 white 8-pointed stars
Australia
blue British ensign, red southern cross outlined in white
New Zealand
blue ensign 5656 Officially only flown on government ships, but often used as a national flag.
white, red cross, blue canton, white-outlined red cross, four white eight-pointed stars
New Zealand
unofficial flag 5757 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.

North America


13 red-white stripes, blue canton, 37 white stars
United States
red British ensign, coat of arms
Canada 5858 An unofficial but widespread national flag.
white-red, thick blue stripe, white star
Texas
green-white-pink
Newfoundland 5959 An unofficial local flag. The British colony of Newfoundland had no distinctive local symbols.
blue, white infinity symbol
Métis

Latin America


green, yellow diamond, coat of arms
Brazil
green-white-red, eagle and snake symbol
Mexico
red-white-red, coat of arms
Peru
national ensign 6060 Flown by the government, the navy, the national police, and national sports teams. Raised at major ceremonies. The army uses a similar flag with a different coat of arms.
red-white-red
Peru
national flag 6161 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
blue-white-blue containing an emblem
Guatemala
blue-white-blue, gold sun
Argentina
blue-white-blue, 5 blue stars
Honduras
blue-white-blue, seal
Nicaragua
red-white-blue, star seal
Paraguay
front side
red-white-blue, lion seal
Paraguay
back side
blue-white-red-white-blue,
Costa Rica
national flag 6262 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
blue-white-red-white-blue, coat of arms
Costa Rica
national ensign 6363 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
5 blue-white stripes, red triangle, white star
Cuba 6464 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
9 blue-white stripes, red canton, 12 white stars
Salvador
9 white-blue stripes, white canton, yellow sun
Uruguay
blue-red, white square containing a coat of arms
Haiti
blue-red quarters, white cross, coat of arms
Dominican Republic
blue-red, white cross, white star
Puerto Rico 6565 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
white-red, blue canton, white star
Chile
red-yellow-green, coat of arms
Bolivia
state flag 6666 Flown by the government and armed forces.
red-yellow-green
Bolivia
national flag 6767 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-blue-red, cluster of 7 white stars, coat of arms
Venezuela
national ensign 6868 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
yellow-blue-red, cluster of 7 white stars
Venezuela
national flag 6969 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-blue-red
Colombia
yellow-blue-red
Ecuador

Other International and Cultural Flags


white, red cross
Red Cross

Events of 1872


SAMOA • U.S. Navy commander Richard W. Meade designed a flag for Samoa, which was raised by the chiefs of Tutuila on March 2. It's unknown if the crescent moon flag reported in 1858 was still around at this point, but he described the moon as being "an ancient emblem in Samoa" which suggests there might have some connection to that flag. The moons on the new flag were arranged in an "S" for Samoa. The nine stripes represented the country's nine islands, and the four stars represented the major islands of Savaiʻi, Upolu, Tutuila and Taʻū.
1858 flag of Samoaright arrow1872 flag of Samoa

Notes


1 The most commonly reported flag from the period. Flags with green, white and red stripes also seem to have been used. Probably flown exclusively on ships. The Turkish flag was the official national flag.
2 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram.
3 Arab monarchies, especially those in and around the Gulf, flew plain red flags from their ships. These weren't quite "national flags" in the modern sense, but European powers tended to view them that way.
4 Officially all of the Trucial States were supposed to fly a square red flag with a thick white border. In practice this flag became exclusively associated with the Al Qasimi dynasty. The other states mostly flew plain red flags.
5 Flown by exclusively by the sultan as a symbol of religious authority. Not really a "national flag" as we'd understand it in modern terms. The sultan also gave white flags to his vassal emirs within the Caliphate.
6 Flown by private citizens and merchant ships. The "Italian Social Republic", the Nazi puppet regime in the north, flew the plain tricolour as a national flag and had a war flag with an eagle gripping a fasces. The anti-fascist Italian partisans flew either plain tricolours or tricolours with a white or red star on the middle stripe.
7 Flown by the government and navy.
8 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
9 Flown by navy ships. Direct predecessor of the modern Austrian flag.
10 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
11 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
12 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies.
13 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
14 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
15 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
16 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
17 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
18 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
19 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
20 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships.
21 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
22 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
23 Flown by merchant ships.
24 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
25 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
26 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
27 Flown the government and armed forces.
28 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
29 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Bohemia. Not an official flag, but informally regarded as a Czech national symbol. A white flag with the Bohemian coat of arms was also sometimes used.
30 Flown by the prince and the military.
31 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
32 A typical flag flown by Bulgarian nationalists and revolutionaries in the pre-independence period. The flag would sometimes have different inscriptions or colours, but a golden lion on green was a common element. The slogan here reads "Freedom or Death!"
33 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
34 The raja's flag was rectangular
35 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
36 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
37 Mewar had a number of reported princely banners which were also sometimes used as state flags. The most common one had a large yellow sun and a blue katar dagger.
38 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
39 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
40 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
41 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
42 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
43 The Raja's flag had a red sun
44 Flown by naval ships.
45 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
46 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
47 Flown by nobles at sea.
48 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
49 Flown by the sultan.
50 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
51 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
52 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
53 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire.
54 Flown by the sultan and by warships. There are many other reported flags from the era, and it's not clear exactly how they were all used. Merchant ships often flew a plain red flag.
55 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
56 Officially only flown on government ships, but often used as a national flag.
57 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
58 An unofficial but widespread national flag.
59 An unofficial local flag. The British colony of Newfoundland had no distinctive local symbols.
60 Flown by the government, the navy, the national police, and national sports teams. Raised at major ceremonies. The army uses a similar flag with a different coat of arms.
61 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
62 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
63 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
64 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
65 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
66 Flown by the government and armed forces.
67 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
68 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
69 Allowed to be flown by anyone.