Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia
Liberia
Congo
Zanzibar
South Africa
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
Egypt
Jebel Shammar
Morocco 11 Moroccan merchant ships in the French zone flew what was called the "Arab ensign", the national flag with a French tricolour added to the top-left corner.
Muscat and Oman
Persia
state flag 22 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens.
Persia
national flag 33 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Hejaz · Syria
Nejd
ʿAsir
Kuwait 44 There were many variations of this flag, depending on who was flying it and when. Some versions would have added inscriptions, decorations or royal symbols. The flag could also be triangular.
Yemen
Bahrain 55 The number of points could vary. Some flags even had a completely straight-edged stripe.
Qatar
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah 66 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.
Mount Lebanon
Kurdistan
Assyrians
Western Europe
France
Italy
national flag 77 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.
Italy
state flag 88 Flown by the government and navy.
Ireland
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 99 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
state flag 1010 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
Andorra
Germany
Denmark
national flag 1111 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
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.
Norway
merchant flag 1313 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 1414 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Iceland
national flag 1515 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 1616 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Sweden 1717 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 1818 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 1919 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Faroe Islands
Greece
land flag 2020 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 2121 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
United Kingdom
England
Scotland
Jersey
Switzerland
San Marino
Liechtenstein
princely flag 2222 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. Blue and red flags were also in use.
Monaco
national flag 2323 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2424 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Malta
traditional flag 2525 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
Portugal
Catalonia
senyera 2626 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 2727 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Basque Country
Cornwall
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Flanders
Wallonia
Eastern Europe and Western Turkestan
Russia (Soviet) 2828 Flown by the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic during the Russian Civil War.
Ukraine (Soviet) 2929 Flown by the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, the government of the Bolshevik-occupied areas of Ukraine during the Russian Civil War.
Latvia (Soviet) 3030 Flown by the Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic, the government of the Bolshevik-occupied areas of Latvia during the Russian Civil War.
Yugoslavia
merchant flag 3232 Unofficial flag of the merchant fleet.
Poland
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Don Republic
Estonia
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Lithuania
Albania
Latvia
Georgia
Romania
Ingria 3434 Flown by the breakaway Republic of North Ingria, which aimed for independence from Russia and integration with Finland.
Karelia 3535 Flown by the breakaway Republic of East Karelia, which aimed for independence from Russia and integration with Finland.
Kuban Republic
Mountain Republic
North Caucasian Emirate
Bukhara
Khiva
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
India 3636 The "Calcutta flag" flown by independence activists. British India had several colonial flags. A red civil ensign with the Star of India medal on it was used to represent India at international sporting events.
Afghanistan
Hyderabad
Jammu and Kashmir 3737 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 3838 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 3939 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Benares
Sailana 4040 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 4141 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 4242 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.
Kolhapur 4343 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
Dhar
Jaipur
Alwar
Idar
Sirohi
Jodhpur
Gwalior
Jaisalmer
Nabha
Bikaner
Mysore
Wankaner
Manipur
Charkhari
Banswara
Dholpur
Chhatarpur
Kapurthala
Cambay
Bharatpur
Kochin
Dhrangadhra
Rajpipla
princely flag 4444 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 4545 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 4646 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 4747 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 4848 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 4949 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
Suket 5050 The raja's flag had a gold tiger head in the middle. The war flag was a red flag with the state coat of arms on it.
Kalat
Bahawalpur
Baroda
princely flag 5151 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
Kutch
Travancore
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 5252 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Cooch Behar
Barwani
Porbandar
Sitamau 5353 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Rewa
princely flag 5454 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
Bundi
Jhalawar
Karauli
Orchha
Alirajpur
Khairpur
Dungarpur
Baoni
Mandi 5555 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
Kishangarh
Bhopal 5656 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
Jaora
Rampur
Bilaspur
Sikkim
Sinhalese Flag 5757 Flown by Sinhalese nationalists in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. There was also an infrequently-used blue British colonial ensign with an elephant badge.
Maldive Islands
Muslim League 5858 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for Muslim interests within British India. The direct predecessor of the flag of Pakistan.
East, Central and Southeast Asia
Japan
Korea 5959 Flown by the Korean independence movement and the unrecognized government-in-exile based in China. Banned under Japanese occupation.
China
Mongolia
Uriankhai
Cambodia
Laos
Siam
Philippines
Federated Malay States
Brunei
Terengganu
Sarawak
Perlis
Johor
state flag 6060 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 6161 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Kedah
state flag 6262 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military.
Kedah
merchant flag 6363 Flown by merchant ships.
Kelantan
Burma 6464 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag.
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
Hawaiʻi
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Guam
North America
United States
Canada 6565 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. The badge was only supposed to have the arms of the original four provinces, but the nine-province version was much more common. It was also often placed on a white disc, or adorned with wreath of maple leaves and a crown.
Newfoundland 6666 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag.
Texas
Acadia
Québec
California
Métis
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 6767 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.
Peru
national flag 6868 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 6969 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 7070 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 7171 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Honduras
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 7272 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
Costa Rica
national ensign 7373 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico 7474 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule.
Cuba
Uruguay
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Chile
Panama
Venezuela
national ensign 7575 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 7676 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Bolivia
state flag 7777 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 7878 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Other International and Cultural Flags
Buddhist Flag
Zionist Movement
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Olympic Games
Events of 1919
AFGHANISTAN • Afghanistan became independent from British protectorate status on August 19. Sometime in the same year, the national emblem was placed inside an Ottoman-style eight-pointed starburst.
AUSTRIA • The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed on On September 10, formally recognized the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the independence of Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. On May 8, Austria adopted a new coat of arms, which was formally added to the state flag on October 21. The new state officially changed its name from "German-Austria" to just Austria on October 23.
GERMANY • The Weimar Constitution was enacted on August 11. Among its provisions was one designating the black-red-gold tricolour as the national flag.
FAROE ISLANDS • A Faroese law student named Jens Oliver Lisberg designed a national flag while studying in Copenhagen. On June 22 he raised it at a wedding in his hometown of Fámjin. That original flag is still hanging inside the local Church.
HUNGARY • The Hungarian Soviet Republic was established on March 21 under a plain red flag. The revolutionary government collapsed in the face of a Romanian invasion a few months later. Its leader Béla Kun fled to Russia on August 1, and on August 6 a coup brought anti-communist forces to power. The old flag with the Crown of Saint Stephen was restored.
KOREA • On March 1, independence activists gathered in Seoul to publicly read the Korean Declaration of Independence. The demonstrators were violently suppressed by the Japanese authorities. On April 11, a government in exile was established in Shanghai which formally adopted a version of the Taeguk flag.
KURDISTAN • In May, Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji revolted against the British under a green Kurdish flag. The revolt was supressed in June but Barzanji would return in 1922 to declare an unrecognized Kingdom of Kurdistan under the same flag.
RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR • The last remnants of the Byelorussian People's Republic were overthrown by the invading Red Army, who established a Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia on January 1. The nascent state was merged with the Soviet counter-government in Lithuania to form the Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR, or "Litbel". The forced union was unpopular and short-lived: The Polish Army took Vilnius on April 21, and the the Litbel government dissolved itself in July.
In neighbouring Estonia, the newly-established People's Force launched a counter-offensive against the Red Army, driving them out of the country by the end of February.
The Red Army took Kiev in February and established a Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on March 10. Forces loyal to the Ukrainian People's Republic continued fighting against the Bolsheviks until 1921.
The North Caucasian Emirate was established in Chechnya on September 19. Its aim was to gain independence from Russia as a Turkish protectorate.
The Republic of North Ingria declared independence on January 23, with a similar goal of incorporation into Finland.
The breakaway Bashkir government submitted to the Soviets on February 16.
The Karakorum-Altai government was abolished by the Soviets on December 18.
Notes
1 Moroccan merchant ships in the French zone flew what was called the "Arab ensign", the national flag with a French tricolour added to the top-left corner. ↩
2 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. ↩
3 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
4 There were many variations of this flag, depending on who was flying it and when. Some versions would have added inscriptions, decorations or royal symbols. The flag could also be triangular. ↩
5 The number of points could vary. Some flags even had a completely straight-edged stripe. ↩
6 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. ↩
7 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. ↩
8 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
9 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
10 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
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. ↩
14 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
15 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
16 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
17 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
18 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
19 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
20 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
21 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
22 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. Blue and red flags were also in use. ↩
23 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
24 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
25 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
26 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
27 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
28 Flown by the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic during the Russian Civil War. ↩
29 Flown by the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, the government of the Bolshevik-occupied areas of Ukraine during the Russian Civil War. ↩
30 Flown by the Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic, the government of the Bolshevik-occupied areas of Latvia during the Russian Civil War. ↩
31 Flown in territories under control of the anti-Soviet White Army. ↩
32 Unofficial flag of the merchant fleet. ↩
33 Flown by the Ukrainian National Republic based out of Kyiv. ↩
34 Flown by the breakaway Republic of North Ingria, which aimed for independence from Russia and integration with Finland. ↩
35 Flown by the breakaway Republic of East Karelia, which aimed for independence from Russia and integration with Finland. ↩
36 The "Calcutta flag" flown by independence activists. British India had several colonial flags. A red civil ensign with the Star of India medal on it was used to represent India at international sporting events. ↩
37 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
38 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
39 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
40 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag. ↩
41 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
42 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. ↩
43 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
44 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
45 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
46 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
47 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it. ↩
48 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand. ↩
49 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes. ↩
50 The raja's flag had a gold tiger head in the middle. The war flag was a red flag with the state coat of arms on it. ↩
51 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown. ↩
52 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white. ↩
53 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
54 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag. ↩
55 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it. ↩
56 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it. ↩
57 Flown by Sinhalese nationalists in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. There was also an infrequently-used blue British colonial ensign with an elephant badge. ↩
58 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for Muslim interests within British India. The direct predecessor of the flag of Pakistan. ↩
59 Flown by the Korean independence movement and the unrecognized government-in-exile based in China. Banned under Japanese occupation. ↩
60 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships. ↩
61 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag. ↩
62 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military. ↩
63 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
64 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag. ↩
65 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. The badge was only supposed to have the arms of the original four provinces, but the nine-province version was much more common. It was also often placed on a white disc, or adorned with wreath of maple leaves and a crown. ↩
66 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. ↩
67 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. ↩
68 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
69 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
70 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
71 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
72 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
73 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
74 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule. ↩
75 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
76 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
77 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
78 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩