Sub-Saharan Africa
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
Morocco 33 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 44 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag.
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Persia
state flag 55 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3.
Persia
national flag 66 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3.
Palestine 77 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 88 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 99 The number of points could vary.
Qatar 1010 The design of the flag wasn't laid down in law, and this may have been one of many variations in use at the time.
Abu Dhabi · Dubai · Ajman · Umm al-Quwain
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah
Eretz-Israel 1111 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 1212 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 1313 Flown by the government and navy.
Ireland
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 1414 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
state flag 1515 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
Andorra
Switzerland
Denmark
national flag 1616 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1717 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 1818 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 1919 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Iceland
national flag 2020 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 2121 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Sweden 2222 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 2323 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2424 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Faroe Islands
Greece
land flag 2525 Flown on land within Greece.
Greece
sea flag 2626 Flown at sea and abroad.
United Kingdom
England
Scotland
Jersey
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Monaco
national flag 2727 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2828 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Vatican City
Malta
traditional flag 2929 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 3030 The traditional Catalan flag, and the official flag of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
Catalonia
estelada 3131 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Åland
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Flanders
Wallonia
Saar Territory
Nazi Germany
national flag 3232 Flown alongside the swastika flag.
Nazi Germany
swastika flag 3333 The flag of the Nazi Party, flown alongside the tricolour as a co-national flag. On land, the swastika was often centred instead of shifted to one side.
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Czechoslovakia
Poland
state flag 3434 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Poland
coat of arms flag 3535 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 3636 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Lithuania
state flag 3737 Flown by the President and on state-owned ships.
Latvia
Romania
Albania
national flag 3838 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Albania
royal flag 3939 Flown by the royal house, the government, the armed forces, and diplomatic missions.
Danzig
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
India 4040 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 4141 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 4242 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 4343 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Benares
Sailana 4444 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 4545 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 4646 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 4747 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 4848 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 4949 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 5050 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 5151 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 5252 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 5353 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
Suket 5454 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 5555 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star.
Baroda
princely flag 5656 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 5757 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge.
Travancore 5858 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge.
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 5959 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Cooch Behar
Barwani
Porbandar 6060 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge.
Sitamau 6161 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Rewa
princely flag 6262 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
Bundi
Jhalawar
Karauli
Orchha
Alirajpur
Khairpur
Dungarpur
Baoni
Mandi 6363 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
Kishangarh
Bhopal 6464 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
Jaora
Rampur
Bilaspur
Sikkim
Sinhalese Flag 6565 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 6666 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 6767 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 6868 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 6969 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 7070 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Kelantan
Kedah
state flag 7171 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military.
Kedah
merchant flag 7272 Flown by merchant ships.
Annam 7373 There was also a colonial "protectorate flag" which was plain yellow with a French tricolour in the top left corner.
Burma 7474 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag.
East Turkestan 7575 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag.
Manchukuo 7676 Flown by the Japanese puppet state in Manchuria. Most countries did not recognize its independence.
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
Hawaiʻi
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Guam
North America and the Caribbean
United States
Canada 7777 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag.
Newfoundland 7878 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 7979 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 8080 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 8181 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 8282 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 8383 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Honduras
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 8484 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 8585 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico 8686 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 8787 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 8888 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Bolivia
state flag 8989 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 9090 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Other International and Cultural Flags
Buddhist Flag
Romani
Pan-African Flag
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Red Lion and Sun
Olympic Games
Events of 1933
EAST TURKESTAN • The breakaway East Turkestan Republic adopted the Kök Bayraq ("Blue Banner") on November 12. It has remained a symbol of the Uyghur people since.
GERMANY • On March 11, Germany readopted the old imperial flag and made the Nazi Party flag equal in status to the national flag.
PERSIA • The ratio of the Persian flag was changed to 2:3 on land and 1:3 at sea. The longer version was used in ceremonial settings until the end of the monarchy.
QATAR • Reports of flags from Qatar from around this time began to commonly include diamonds on the serrated stripe. The design of the Qatari flag was in flux until 1949, so this may have just been one of several variations in use at the time.
ROMANI • The General Association of the Gypsies of Romania adopted a blue and green flag at their 1933 Conference. In 1971 a wheel would be added to the flag to form the modern Romani flag.
TERENGGANU • A crescent and star was added to the flag.
Notes
1 Often (but not always) flown by the royal house and the government. ↩
2 Flown by anyone. ↩
3 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. ↩
4 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag. ↩
5 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
6 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
7 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. ↩
8 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. ↩
9 The number of points could vary. ↩
10 The design of the flag wasn't laid down in law, and this may have been one of many variations in use at the time. ↩
11 Flown by the Jewish community in the British mandate of Palestine. Direct ancestor of the flag of Israel. ↩
12 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. ↩
13 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
14 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
15 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
16 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
17 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
18 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
19 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
20 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
21 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
22 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
23 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
24 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
25 Flown on land within Greece. ↩
26 Flown at sea and abroad. ↩
27 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
28 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
29 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
30 The traditional Catalan flag, and the official flag of the Generalitat of Catalonia. ↩
31 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
32 Flown alongside the swastika flag. ↩
33 The flag of the Nazi Party, flown alongside the tricolour as a co-national flag. On land, the swastika was often centred instead of shifted to one side. ↩
34 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
35 Flown by merchant ships and diplomatic missions. Use of the national flag was banned during the Nazi occupation. ↩
36 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
37 Flown by the President and on state-owned ships. ↩
38 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
39 Flown by the royal house, the government, the armed forces, and diplomatic missions. ↩
40 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. ↩
41 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
42 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
43 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
44 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag. ↩
45 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
46 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. ↩
47 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
48 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
49 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
50 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
51 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it. ↩
52 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand. ↩
53 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes. ↩
54 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. ↩
55 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star. ↩
56 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. ↩
57 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge. ↩
58 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge. ↩
59 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white. ↩
60 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge. ↩
61 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
62 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag. ↩
63 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it. ↩
64 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it. ↩
65 Flown by Sinhalese nationalists in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. There was also an infrequently-used blue British colonial ensign with an elephant badge. ↩
66 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for Muslim interests within British India. The direct predecessor of the flag of Pakistan. ↩
67 Flown by the Korean independence movement and the unrecognized government-in-exile based in China. Banned under Japanese occupation. ↩
68 Flown by Indonesian nationalists but banned by Dutch colonial authorities. The Dutch East Indies did not have an official national flag. ↩
69 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships. ↩
70 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag. ↩
71 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military. ↩
72 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
73 There was also a colonial "protectorate flag" which was plain yellow with a French tricolour in the top left corner. ↩
74 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag. ↩
75 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag. ↩
76 Flown by the Japanese puppet state in Manchuria. Most countries did not recognize its independence. ↩
77 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. ↩
78 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. ↩
79 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. ↩
80 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
81 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
82 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
83 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
84 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
85 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
86 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule. ↩
87 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
88 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
89 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
90 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩