Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia
African National Congress
South Africa
Liberia
Congo
Zanzibar
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
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.
Algeria 22 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag.
Egypt
Hejaz and Nejd
Persia
state flag 33 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens.
Persia
national flag 44 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Palestine 55 Flown unofficially by the Arab community. Merchant ships flew a red British ensign with a badge that said "PALESTINE". The Jewish community flew the modern flag of Israel.
Transjordan
Iraq
Syria
Kuwait 66 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
Muscat and Oman · Zanzibar
Bahrain 77 The number of points could vary.
Qatar
Abu Dhabi · Dubai · Ajman · Umm al-Quwain
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah
Eretz-Israel 88 Flown by the Jewish community in the British mandate of Palestine. Direct ancestor of the flag of Israel.
Lebanon
Latakia
Jebel Druze
Kurdistan
Assyrians
Western Europe
France
Italy
national flag 99 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 1010 Flown by the government and navy.
Ireland
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 1111 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
state flag 1212 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
Andorra
Germany
Denmark
national flag 1313 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1414 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 1515 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 1616 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Iceland
national flag 1717 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 1818 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Sweden 1919 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 2020 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2121 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Faroe Islands
Greece
land flag 2222 Flown on land within Greece.
Greece
sea flag 2323 Flown at sea and abroad.
United Kingdom
England
Scotland
Jersey
Switzerland
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Monaco
national flag 2424 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2525 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Vatican City
Malta
traditional flag 2626 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
Portugal
Basque Country
Isle of Man
Catalonia
senyera 2727 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 2828 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Saar Territory
Åland
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Flanders
Wallonia
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Czechoslovakia
Poland
state flag 2929 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Poland
coat of arms flag 3030 Flown by merchant ships and diplomatic missions. Use of the national flag was banned during the Nazi occupation.
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia
Lithuania
national flag 3131 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Lithuania
state flag 3232 Flown by the President and on state-owned ships.
Latvia
Romania
Albania
national flag 3333 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Albania
royal flag 3434 Flown by the royal house, the government, the armed forces, and diplomatic missions.
Danzig
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
India 3535 The Svaraj ("self-rule") flag flown by nationalists and 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 and in the League of Nations.
Afghanistan
Hyderabad
Jammu and Kashmir 3636 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 3737 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 3838 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Benares
Sailana 3939 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 4040 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 4141 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 4242 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
Tripura
Charkhari
Banswara
Panna
Dholpur
Chhatarpur
Kapurthala
Cambay
Bharatpur
Kochin
Dhrangadhra
Rajpipla
princely flag 4343 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 4444 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 4545 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 4646 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 4747 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 4848 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
Suket 4949 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
Janjira 5050 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star.
Baroda
princely flag 5151 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown. There was a red colonial British ensign with a scimitar and horseman badge.
Kutch 5252 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge.
Travancore 5353 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge.
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 5454 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Cooch Behar
Barwani
Porbandar 5555 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge.
Sitamau 5656 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Rewa
princely flag 5757 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
Bundi
Jhalawar
Karauli
Orchha
Alirajpur
Khairpur
Dungarpur
Baoni
Mandi 5858 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
Kishangarh
Bhopal 5959 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
Jaora
Rampur
Bilaspur
Sikkim
Sinhalese Flag 6060 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 6161 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 6262 Flown by the Korean independence movement and the unrecognized government-in-exile based in China. Banned under Japanese occupation.
China
Mongolia
Tibet
Tuva
Cambodia
Laos
Siam
Philippines
Indonesia 6363 Flown by Indonesian nationalists but banned by Dutch colonial authorities. The Dutch East Indies did not have an official national flag.
Federated Malay States
Brunei
Terengganu
Sarawak
Perlis
Johor
state flag 6464 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 6565 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Kelantan
Kedah
state flag 6666 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military.
Kedah
merchant flag 6767 Flown by merchant ships.
Annam 6868 There was also a colonial "protectorate flag" which was plain yellow with a French tricolour in the top left corner.
Burma 6969 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 and the Caribbean
United States
Canada 7070 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag.
Newfoundland 7171 Newfoundland's official national flag was the Union Jack, but its red ensign was designated as the "national colours", and was often flown as a distinctive local flag on land and at sea.
Alaska
Texas
Acadia
Québec
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
California
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 7272 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 7373 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 7474 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 7575 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 7676 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Honduras
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 7777 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 7878 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico 7979 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 8080 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 8181 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Bolivia
state flag 8282 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 8383 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Other International and Cultural Flags
Buddhist Flag
Pan-African Flag
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Red Lion and Sun
Olympic Games
Events of 1931
AFGHANISTAN • The seal on the flag was changed on October 31.
INDIA • The Indian National Congress adopted the spinning wheel flag on August 1 and raised it for the first time on August 31.
The princely state of Alwar adopted a new flag around this year, and the princely state of Tripura adopted its flag no later than this year.
SPAIN • The Second Spanish Republic was declared on April 14. Its flag was adopted on April 27.
TRUCIAL STATES • The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 specified a flag for the Trucial States (red with a white border) but it was seen as a symbol of the Qasimi dynasty and flown only in Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah. The other states — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman and Umm al-Quwain — continued to fly plain red flags in violation of the treaty well into the 20th century. Sometime before 1931, they were apparently cajoled into adding a white stripe to their flags.
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 nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag. ↩
3 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. ↩
4 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
5 Flown unofficially by the Arab community. Merchant ships flew a red British ensign with a badge that said "PALESTINE". The Jewish community flew the modern flag of Israel. ↩
6 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. ↩
7 The number of points could vary. ↩
8 Flown by the Jewish community in the British mandate of Palestine. Direct ancestor of the flag of Israel. ↩
9 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. ↩
10 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
11 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
12 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
13 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
14 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
15 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
16 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
17 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
18 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
19 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
20 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
21 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
22 Flown on land within Greece. ↩
23 Flown at sea and abroad. ↩
24 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
25 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
26 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
27 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
28 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
29 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
30 Flown by merchant ships and diplomatic missions. Use of the national flag was banned during the Nazi occupation. ↩
31 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
32 Flown by the President and on state-owned ships. ↩
33 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
34 Flown by the royal house, the government, the armed forces, and diplomatic missions. ↩
35 The Svaraj ("self-rule") flag flown by nationalists and 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 and in the League of Nations. ↩
36 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
37 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
38 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
39 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag. ↩
40 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
41 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. ↩
42 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
43 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
44 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
45 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
46 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it. ↩
47 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand. ↩
48 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes. ↩
49 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. ↩
50 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star. ↩
51 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown. There was a red colonial British ensign with a scimitar and horseman badge. ↩
52 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge. ↩
53 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge. ↩
54 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white. ↩
55 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge. ↩
56 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
57 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag. ↩
58 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it. ↩
59 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it. ↩
60 Flown by Sinhalese nationalists in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. There was also an infrequently-used blue British colonial ensign with an elephant badge. ↩
61 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for Muslim interests within British India. The direct predecessor of the flag of Pakistan. ↩
62 Flown by the Korean independence movement and the unrecognized government-in-exile based in China. Banned under Japanese occupation. ↩
63 Flown by Indonesian nationalists but banned by Dutch colonial authorities. The Dutch East Indies did not have an official national flag. ↩
64 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships. ↩
65 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag. ↩
66 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military. ↩
67 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
68 There was also a colonial "protectorate flag" which was plain yellow with a French tricolour in the top left corner. ↩
69 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag. ↩
70 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. ↩
71 Newfoundland's official national flag was the Union Jack, but its red ensign was designated as the "national colours", and was often flown as a distinctive local flag on land and at sea. ↩
72 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. ↩
73 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
74 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
75 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
76 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
77 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
78 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
79 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule. ↩
80 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
81 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
82 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
83 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩