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.
Morocco
Spanish merchant flag 44 Flown by merchant ships operating out of the Spanish zone in northern Morocco. The Moroccan national flag was flown on land.
Algeria 55 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag.
Egypt
Iran
state flag 66 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3.
Iran
national flag 77 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3.
Palestine 88 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
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait 99 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 1010 The number of points could vary.
Qatar 1111 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 · Kalba
Eretz-Israel 1212 Flown by the Jewish community in the British mandate of Palestine. Direct ancestor of the flag of Israel.
Lebanon
Druze
Qu'aiti State
Kurdistan
Assyrians
Western Europe
France
Vichy flag 1313 Flag of the Nazi puppet regime in Southern France.
France
resistance flag 1414 Flag flown by the Free French Forces and the government-in-exile. The plain tricolour was still seen as the national flag.
Italy
national flag 1515 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 1616 Flown by the government and navy.
Ireland
Andorra
Belgium 1717 Flown by the government in exile and the Belgian resistance. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation.
Netherlands 1818 Flown by the government in exile and the Dutch Resistance. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation.
Luxembourg 1919 Flown by the government in exile and the Luxembourg Resistance. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation..
Spain
Denmark
national flag 2020 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 2121 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 2222 Flown by the government in exile and apparently in some very limited contexts by the collaborationist Quisling regime. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation.
Norway
state flag 2323 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Iceland
national flag 2424 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 2525 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Sweden 2626 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Faroe Islands
Finland
national flag 2727 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2828 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Greece
land flag 2929 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 3030 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
United Kingdom
England · Guernsey
Scotland
Jersey
Switzerland
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Monaco
national flag 3131 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 3232 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Vatican City
Malta
traditional flag 3333 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 3434 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 3535 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Åland
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Flanders
Wallonia
Nazi Germany
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Czechoslovakia
Poland
state flag 3636 Flown by the government in exile and the Polish resistance. Use of the national flag was banned during the Nazi occupation.
Poland
coat of arms flag 3737 Flown by merchant ships and diplomatic missions. Use of the national flag was banned during the Nazi occupation.
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 3838 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation.
Lithuania 3939 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation.
Latvia 4040 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation.
Romania
Albania 4141 Albanian partisans flew a flag with a yellow star in the top-left corner.
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
India 4242 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 4343 The maharaja's flag was red with yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 4444 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 4545 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Benares
Sailana 4646 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 4747 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 4848 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 4949 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 5050 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 5151 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 5252 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 5353 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 5454 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 5555 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
Suket 5656 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 5757 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star.
Baroda
princely flag 5858 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 5959 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge.
Travancore 6060 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge.
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 6161 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Cooch Behar
Barwani
Porbandar 6262 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge.
Ratlam
Sitamau 6363 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Rewa
princely flag 6464 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
Jhalawar
Karauli
Orchha
Alirajpur
Khairpur
Patiala
princely flag 6565 Flag of the maharaja, also sometimes used as a state flag.
Dungarpur
Bundi
Baoni
Mandi 6666 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
Kishangarh
Bhopal 6767 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
Jaora
Rampur
Pudukkottai
Bilaspur
Sikkim
Sinhalese Flag 6868 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 6969 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for the partition of India along religious lines and the creation of an independent Pakistan. The direct predecessor of the modern flag of Pakistan.
East, Central and Southeast Asia
Japan
Korea 7070 Flown by the Korean independence movement and the unrecognized government-in-exile based in China. Banned under Japanese occupation.
China
Mongolia
Tuva
Tibet
Cambodia
Laos
Thailand
Philippines
Indonesia 7171 Flown by Indonesian nationalists. The Dutch East Indies did not have official national symbols and the Dutch ban on the flag was continued under Japanese occupation.
Federated Malay States
Brunei
Terengganu
Sarawak
Perlis
Johor
state flag 7272 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 7373 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Kelantan
Kedah
state flag 7474 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military.
Kedah
merchant flag 7575 Flown by merchant ships.
Annam 7676 There was also a colonial "protectorate flag" which was plain yellow with a French tricolour in the top left corner.
Burma 7777 The nationalist tricolour was flown by the the Burma Independence Army, which had helped Japan take the country.
Karen 7878 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma.
East Turkestan 7979 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag.
Manchukuo 8080 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 8181 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag.
Alaska
Texas
Acadia
Québec
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
California
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Papago
Garifuna
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 8282 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 8383 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 8484 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 8585 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 8686 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Honduras
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 8787 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 8888 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico 8989 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule.
Cuba
Uruguay
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Chile
Panama
Colombia
Ecuador
Venezuela
national ensign 9090 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 9191 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Bolivia
state flag 9292 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 9393 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 1942
ALBANIA • On May 15th, after Nationalist agitation against the Italian-imposed national flag, the plain pre-war eagle was restored.
The National Liberation Front was established under the leadership of Enver Hoxha on September 16. The partisans often flew a flag with a yellow communist star.
BURMA • Japan occupied Burma, taking Rangoon in March. The colonial blue ensign which had been adopted a year earlier was lowered and the Thakin tricolour was raised throughout the country.
KOREA • The government in exile of Korea issued construction standards for the taeguk 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 merchant ships operating out of the Spanish zone in northern Morocco. The Moroccan national flag was flown on land. ↩
5 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag. ↩
6 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
7 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
8 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. ↩
9 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. ↩
10 The number of points could vary. ↩
11 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. ↩
12 Flown by the Jewish community in the British mandate of Palestine. Direct ancestor of the flag of Israel. ↩
13 Flag of the Nazi puppet regime in Southern France. ↩
14 Flag flown by the Free French Forces and the government-in-exile. The plain tricolour was still seen as the national flag. ↩
15 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. ↩
16 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
17 Flown by the government in exile and the Belgian resistance. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation. ↩
18 Flown by the government in exile and the Dutch Resistance. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation. ↩
19 Flown by the government in exile and the Luxembourg Resistance. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation.. ↩
20 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
21 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
22 Flown by the government in exile and apparently in some very limited contexts by the collaborationist Quisling regime. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation. ↩
23 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
24 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
25 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
26 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
27 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
28 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
29 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
30 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
31 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
32 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
33 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
34 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
35 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
36 Flown by the government in exile and the Polish resistance. Use of the national flag was banned during the Nazi occupation. ↩
37 Flown by merchant ships and diplomatic missions. Use of the national flag was banned during the Nazi occupation. ↩
38 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation. ↩
39 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation. ↩
40 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Nazi occupation. ↩
41 Albanian partisans flew a flag with a yellow star in the top-left corner. ↩
42 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. ↩
43 The maharaja's flag was red with yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
44 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
45 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
46 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag. ↩
47 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
48 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. ↩
49 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
50 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
51 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
52 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
53 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it. ↩
54 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand. ↩
55 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes. ↩
56 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. ↩
57 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star. ↩
58 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. ↩
59 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge. ↩
60 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge. ↩
61 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white. ↩
62 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge. ↩
63 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
64 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag. ↩
65 Flag of the maharaja, also sometimes used as a state flag. ↩
66 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it. ↩
67 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it. ↩
68 Flown by Sinhalese nationalists in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. There was also an infrequently-used blue British colonial ensign with an elephant badge. ↩
69 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for the partition of India along religious lines and the creation of an independent Pakistan. The direct predecessor of the modern flag of Pakistan. ↩
70 Flown by the Korean independence movement and the unrecognized government-in-exile based in China. Banned under Japanese occupation. ↩
71 Flown by Indonesian nationalists. The Dutch East Indies did not have official national symbols and the Dutch ban on the flag was continued under Japanese occupation. ↩
72 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships. ↩
73 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag. ↩
74 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military. ↩
75 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
76 There was also a colonial "protectorate flag" which was plain yellow with a French tricolour in the top left corner. ↩
77 The nationalist tricolour was flown by the the Burma Independence Army, which had helped Japan take the country. ↩
78 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩
79 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag. ↩
80 Flown by the Japanese puppet state in Manchuria. Most countries did not recognize its independence. ↩
81 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. ↩
82 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. ↩
83 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
84 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
85 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
86 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
87 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
88 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
89 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule. ↩
90 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
91 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
92 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
93 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩