Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia
royal flag 11 Often (but not always) flown by the royal house and the government.
Ethiopia
national flag 22 Flown by anyone.
African National Congress
Gold Coast
CPP flag 33 Flag of the Convention People's Party, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the flag of Ghana. The colony also had a rarely-used British ensign with an elephant badge.
South Africa
Liberia
Congo
Buganda
Zanzibar
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
Morocco 44 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 55 Flown by merchant ships operating out of the Spanish zone in northern Morocco. The Moroccan national flag was flown on land.
Algeria 66 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag.
Egypt
Cyrenaica
Palestine
Jordan
Iraq
Syria
Israel
Lebanon
Iran
state flag 77 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 88 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3.
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
Bahrain
Qatar
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
East Germany · West Germany
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 1010 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
federal service flag 1111 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
Switzerland
Denmark
national flag 1212 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1313 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 1414 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 1515 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Iceland
national flag 1616 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 1717 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Sweden 1818 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 1919 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2020 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Faroe Islands
Greece
land flag 2121 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 2222 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
United Kingdom
England · Guernsey
Scotland
Jersey
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Monaco
national flag 2323 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2424 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Vatican City
Malta
traditional flag 2525 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 2626 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 2727 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Åland
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Flanders
Wallonia
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Albania
Czechoslovakia
Poland
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 2828 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Lithuania 2929 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Latvia 3030 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
India
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Nepal
Bhutan 3131 There was apparently only a single physical version of this flag ever made.
Sikkim
Ceylon
Maldive Islands
Jammu and Kashmir 3232 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Azad Kashmir 3333 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
East, Central and Southeast Asia
Japan
South Korea
North Korea
China
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
State of Vietnam
Tibet
Mongolia
Taiwan 3434 The flag of the Republic of China, the government of Taiwan. Banned on the mainland, as the People's Republic of China claimed sovereignty over the island. Regarded as the flag of China at the United Nations.
Burma
Laos
Laos
Pathet Lao flag 3535 Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi.
Thailand
Cambodia
Cambodia
Khmer Issarak flag 3636 Flown by the United Issarak Front, a communist resistance movement which claimed to be the independent government of Cambodia.
Philippines
Malaya
Indonesia
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 national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. 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
Belize
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 1950
BAHRAIN • The number of points on the serrated stripe was fixed at eight on October 5.
BELIZE • The Baymen's Flag was adopted by the newly-formed People's Committee in Belize.
CAMBODIA • The United Issarak Front was established under the leadership of Son Ngoc Minh. At its innaugural congress, they adopted a red flag with a golden image of Angkor Wat, which would later be adopted as the flag of the People's Republic of Kampuchea in 1979. On June 19 the Issaraks unilaterally declared Cambodia independent.
LAOS • Prince Souphanouvong founded the Pathet Lao and established himself as the chairman of the resistance government-in-exile in Hanoi. The movement used the Lao Issara flag first adopted in 1945.
MALAYA • Malaya adopted a new flag on May 26.
PERU • The design of the coat of arms was slightly changed on March 31.
Notes
1 Often (but not always) flown by the royal house and the government. ↩
2 Flown by anyone. ↩
3 Flag of the Convention People's Party, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the flag of Ghana. The colony also had a rarely-used British ensign with an elephant badge. ↩
4 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. ↩
5 Flown by merchant ships operating out of the Spanish zone in northern Morocco. The Moroccan national flag was flown on land. ↩
6 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag. ↩
7 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
8 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
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 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
11 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
12 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
13 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
14 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
15 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
16 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
17 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
18 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
19 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
20 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
21 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
22 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
23 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
24 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
25 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. ↩
26 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
27 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
28 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
29 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
30 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
31 There was apparently only a single physical version of this flag ever made. ↩
32 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
33 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
34 The flag of the Republic of China, the government of Taiwan. Banned on the mainland, as the People's Republic of China claimed sovereignty over the island. Regarded as the flag of China at the United Nations. ↩
35 Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi. ↩
36 Flown by the United Issarak Front, a communist resistance movement which claimed to be the independent government of Cambodia. ↩
37 Sarawak also had a blue colonial ensign. ↩
38 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩
39 The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. 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. ↩