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State flag

Term referring to two types of flag From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

State flag
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In vexillology, a state flag is either the flag of the government of a sovereign state (and can also be referred as a government flag), or the flag of an individual federated state (subnational administrative division).[1]

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The Flag of Poland, having the state flag variant being charged with the Coat of arms. In some jurisdictions or on certain occasions, the state flags are designated to be flown exclusively by governmental authorities and services and restricted to be used by civillian and non-governmental parties. On the other hand, a lot of states and governments only have a single national flag, or don't have separate civil and state banners.
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Government flag

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A state flag is a variant of a national flag (or occasionally a completely different design) specifically designated and restricted by law or custom (theoretically or actually) to use by a country's government or its agencies. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as government flags. In many countries the state flag and the civil flag (as flown by the general public) are identical, but in other countries, notably those in Latin America, central Europe, and Scandinavia, the state flag is a more complex version of the national flag, often featuring the national coat of arms or some other emblem as part of the design. Scandinavian countries also use swallowtailed state flags, to further differentiate them from civil flags.[1]

In addition, some countries have state ensigns, separate flags for use by non-military government ships such as guard vessels. For example, government ships in the United Kingdom fly the Blue Ensign.[2]

State flags should not be confused with the national flag as used by military organizations; these are referred to as war flags and naval ensigns.[3]

National flags with separate state and civil versions

Optional civil flag of Andorra
State and civil flag of Andorra
ThumbOptional civil flag of Argentina
ThumbState and civil flag of Argentina
Optional civil flag of Austria
State flag of Austria
De facto civil flag of Belgium (ratio 2:3)
Official state and civil flag of Belgium (ratio 13:15)
Civil flag of Bolivia
State flag of Bolivia
ThumbCivil flag of Costa Rica
ThumbState flag of Costa Rica
Civil flag of Denmark
Thumb State flag of Denmark
Civil flag of Dominican Republic
State flag of Dominican Republic
ThumbCivil flag of El Salvador
ThumbState flag of El Salvador
ThumbAlternative state flag of El Salvador
ThumbCivil flag of Finland
ThumbState flag of Finland
ThumbCivil and alternative state flag of Germany
ThumbState flag of Germany
ThumbUnofficial flag of Germany
ThumbCivil flag of Guatemala
ThumbState flag of Guatemala
ThumbCivil flag of Haiti
ThumbState flag of Haiti
ThumbState and civil flag of Hungary (ratio 1:2)
Alternative civil flag of Hungary (ratio 2:3)
ThumbOptional state flag of Hungary
Civil flag of Iceland
ThumbState flag of Iceland
Civil flag of Italy
State flag of Italy (maritime only)
ThumbCivil flag of Liechtenstein
ThumbState flag of Liechtenstein
ThumbState and civil flag of Lithuania
ThumbHistorical state flag of Lithuania
Civil flag of Monaco
State flag of Monaco
ThumbCivil flag of Nigeria
ThumbState flag of Nigeria
Civil flag of Norway
Thumb State flag of Norway
ThumbCivil flag of the State of Palestine
ThumbState flag of the State of Palestine
Civil flag of Peru
State flag of Peru
ThumbCivil flag of Poland
ThumbState flag of Poland
Civil flag of Romania
Unofficial state flag of Romania
Civil flag of San Marino
State flag of San Marino
Civil flag of Serbia
State flag of Serbia
Optional civil flag of Spain
State and civil flag of Spain
ThumbOptional civil flag of Transnistria
ThumbState and civil flag of Transnistria
ThumbState and civil flag of Tuvalu
ThumbAlternative state flag of Tuvalu
Civil and state flag of Uruguay
Alternative state flag of Uruguay (Artigas flag)
Alternative state flag of Uruguay (Flag of the Treinta y Tres)
Civil flag of Venezuela
State flag of Venezuela
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Flag of a federated state (subnational entity)

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The state flag of Georgia being flown below the national flag of the United States.

In Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United States, and some other federalized countries, the term state flag can have a different usage, as it frequently refers to an official flag of any of the individual states or territorial subdivisions that make up the nation.[4]

To avoid confusion with the first meaning of the term, however, such a flag would be more precisely referred to as "the flag of the state of X", rather than "the state flag of X".[citation needed] For this usage, see also:

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Notes

References

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