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List of national flags by design

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of national flags by design
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A national flag is a one that represents and symbolizes a country or nation-state. Flags — and the related (royal) standards, ensigns, banners, and pennons / pennants — come in many shapes and designs, which often indicate something about what the flag represents, but generally national flags are rectangular or sometimes square-shaped.

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Flags of member nation-states flying outside the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York (2007)
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The parts of a flag using the terms of vexillology

Common design elements of flags include shapes as charges — such as crescent moons, crosses, stars, stripes, and suns — layout elements such as including a canton (a rectangle with a distinct design, such as another national flag), and the overall shape of a flag, such as the aspect ratio of a rectangular flag — whether the flag is square or rectangle, and how wide it is — or the choice of a non-rectangular flag. Sometimes these flags are used as a short-hand guide to represent languages on say, tourist information or versions of websites on internet.

Many countries with shared history, culture, ethnicity, or religion have similarities in their flags that represent this connection. Sets of flags in this list within the same category may represent countries' shared connections — as with the Scandinavian countries exhibiting the Nordic cross on their flags — or the design similarity may be a coincidence — as with the red and white flags of Indonesia and Monaco and Poland.

For clarity, unless stated, all flags shown are the civil flag of the nation state / country recognised as such by the United Nations — the state flags, (usually those of the government), along with the flags of autonomous countries, regions, and territories of a UN nation state are annotated in italics as such.

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Shape and aspect ratio

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Most flags are rectangular / oblong. In Nordic nations, some have swallowtail shapes as the state flag, though the civil flag is oblong. The only nation state to fly a civil flag that is non-rectangular is   Nepal .

A great many national flags have a single defined aspect ratio. The most common aspect ratio is 2:3, followed by 1:2, with only a few being 1:1 (square-shaped). Some nations' flags have multiple acceptable ratios, or do not define any ratio at all, such as the Union Jack of the United Kingdom having its commonest aspect ratios of 1:2 followed by 2:3.


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Borders

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Diagonal divisions and stripes




Horizontal divisions and stripes

Horizontal bi-color divisions and stripes









Horizontal tri-colour stripes






Horizontal stripes in many colours


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Vertical divisions and stripes

Vertical bi-colour divisions and stripes






Vertical tri-colour stripes


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Mobile charge — Circle

One circle in centre


One circle off-centre


One broken or implied circle


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Mobile charge — National coat of arms / badge

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National coat of arms / badge — civil flags


National coat of arms / badge — state flags only

The following are the government / state flag only — the national civil flag is without the coat of arms.


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Mobile charge — National emblem / seal

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Ordinary / mobile charge — Cross

Quadrilateral division


Upright centred cross



Upright off-centre cross — Nordic Cross



Diagonal cross / saltire crosses of SS. Andrew and Patrick


Upright and diagonal centred crosses



Notably, the Union Jack features in many territorial and sub-national flags usually based on the Red Ensign, (e.g.  Bermuda), or Blue Ensign, (e.g.  New South Wales). The British Ensign is used in a few cases with backgrounds of other colours, (e.g.  The British Antarctic Territory and  Niue), or a unique pattern in the field, (e.g.  The British Indian Ocean Territory and  Hawaii). Some flags use the Union Jack other than at the canton, (e.g.  British Columbia). Unofficial flags also use it, (e.g.  The Ross Dependency of Antarctica).


Other crosses in the canton or on the charged coat of arms / emblem

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Mobile charge — Astronomical

Sun



Moon




Star












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Mobile charge — Living organisms

Human and body parts


Animals






Plants



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Mobile charge — Other objects

Building

Headgear



Map


Ships


Tool, instrument, device, or book




Weaponry


Other symbols

Mobile charge — Text


Country name


Motto


Country name and motto


Other texts


Ordinary charge — Hoist variants

Vertical band on hoist


Canton — upper left quarter



Triangle(s) on hoist — pile


Triangle(s) on hoist — pall


Mobile charge — Chevrons, triangles, and quadrilaterals in the center


See also

References

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