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
Palestine
Transjordan
Iraq
Syria
Israel
Lebanon
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.
Saudi Arabia
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
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 · Kalba
Qu'aiti State
Kurdistan
Assyrians
Druze
Western Europe
France
Italy
Ireland
Andorra
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 1111 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
federal service flag 1212 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
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. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 2323 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 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. Plain flags without the George Cross were also common. The colonial government had a blue ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
Portugal
Saarland
Basque Country
Isle of Man
Trieste
Catalonia
senyera 2727 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 2828 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Åland
Germany
provisional civil ensign 2929 Flown by German ships, but explicitly not as a national flag, and not given any of the ceremonial respect typically given to national flags. Not used on land. Known as the "C-Pennant" since it was derived for the maritime signal flag for the letter C.
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Flanders
Wallonia
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Albania
Czechoslovakia
Poland
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 3030 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Lithuania 3131 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Latvia 3232 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Romania
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
East, Central and Southeast Asia
Japan 3535 Flown over the Imperial Palace and a handful of other government buildings. Private citizens could only fly the flag on national holidays.
South Korea
North Korea
China
Burma
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
State of Vietnam
Tibet
Mongolia
Laos
Laos
Lao Issara flag 3636 Flown by the nationalist Lao Issara government-in-exile in Bangkok.
Siam
Cambodia
Philippines
Indonesia
Malaya
Brunei
Sarawak 3737 Sarawak also had a blue colonial ensign.
Shan
Karen 3838 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma.
East Turkestan 3939 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag.
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
Hawaiʻi
Western Samoa
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Guam
North America and the Caribbean
United States
Canada 4040 Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed.
Québec
Alaska
Texas
Acadia
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
California
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Papago
Garifuna
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 4141 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 4242 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 4343 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 4444 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 4545 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Honduras
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 4646 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 4747 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico 4848 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 4949 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 5050 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Bolivia
state flag 5151 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 5252 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Other International and Cultural Flags
United Nations
Buddhist Flag
Romani
Pan-African Flag
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Red Lion and Sun
Olympic Games
Events of 1948
BULGARIA • The national emblem was modified on March 30.
BURMA • Burma became independent from the United Kingdom on January 4.
CAMBODIA • A new flag design was adopted on October 29.
CEYLON • The Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became independent from the United Kingdom on February 4. Its new national flag was based on the nineteenth-century royal standard of the Kingdom of Kandy.
GUAM • A red border was added to the territorial flag on February 9.
HYDERABAD • India invaded the state of Hyderabad. It surrendered on September 18, effectively ending its attempted independence.
ISRAEL • Israel declared independence from the British Mandate of Palestine on May 14. The flag of the Zionist movement was confirmed as the national flag on October 28.
KOREA • The Republic of Korea was declared in the South on August 15, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was declared in the North on September 9. South Korea continued flying the Taeguk flag, but North Korea adopted a new flag designed by Moscow.
QUÉBEC • The Fleurdelisé flag (without any Sacred Heart iconography) was officially adopted on January 21.
ROMANIA • Romania added an emblem to its flag on January 8. On April 13 the design of the emblem was changed.
VIETNAM • The French-controlled Provisional Central Government of Vietnam adopted a flag on June 2.
WESTERN SAMOA • Western Samoa adopted a flag on May 26.
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 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 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. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
23 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
24 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
25 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
26 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. Plain flags without the George Cross were also common. The colonial government had a blue ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
27 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
28 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
29 Flown by German ships, but explicitly not as a national flag, and not given any of the ceremonial respect typically given to national flags. Not used on land. Known as the "C-Pennant" since it was derived for the maritime signal flag for the letter C. ↩
30 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
31 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
32 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
33 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
34 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
35 Flown over the Imperial Palace and a handful of other government buildings. Private citizens could only fly the flag on national holidays. ↩
36 Flown by the nationalist Lao Issara government-in-exile in Bangkok. ↩
37 Sarawak also had a blue colonial ensign. ↩
38 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩
39 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag. ↩
40 Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed. ↩
41 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. ↩
42 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
43 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
44 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
45 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
46 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
47 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
48 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule. ↩
49 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
50 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
51 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
52 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩