The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1855 ▶︎

Middle East and Africa


red, white crescent and star
Turkey
red, white disc, red crescent and star
Tunis
red, three white crescents-and-stars
Egypt
red, yellow crescent, 8-pointed yellow star
Jebel Shammar
green, white crescent
Nejd
green, three white crescents
Tripoli 11 The most commonly reported flag from the period. Flags with green, white and red stripes also seem to have been used. Probably flown exclusively on ships. The Turkish flag was the official national flag.
plain red
Morocco 22 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram.
plain red
Muscat and Oman · Bahrain 33 Arab monarchies, especially those in and around the Gulf, flew plain red flags from their ships. These weren't quite "national flags" in the modern sense, but European powers tended to view them that way.
red, thick white outline
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah 44 Officially all of the Trucial States were supposed to fly a square red flag with a thick white border. In practice this flag became exclusively associated with the Al Qasimi dynasty. The other states mostly flew plain red flags.
white-red
Madagascar
white, yellow lion and sun
Persia
white pennant, green inscription
Futa Jallon
plain green
Sokoto Caliphate
green flag of Islam 55 Flown by exclusively by the sultan as a symbol of religious authority. Not really a "national flag" as we'd understand it in modern terms. The sultan also gave white flags to his vassal emirs within the Caliphate.
11 red-white stripes, blue canton, white star
Liberia

Western Europe


blue-white-red
France
green-white-red, coat of arms
Sardinia
national flag 66 Flown by private citizens and merchant ships.
green-white-red, crowned coat of arms
Sardinia
state flag 77 Flown by the government and navy.
black-yellow-red
Belgium
red-white-blue
Netherlands
red-white-azure
Luxembourg
red-white-red, coat of arms
Tuscany
red-white-red, three blue-white-blue stripes
Modena and Reggio
red-yellow-red, coat of arms
Spain
red, white square cross
Switzerland
army flag 88 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
red, white nordic cross
Denmark
national flag 99 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut
Denmark
sovereign flag 1010 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies.
red, white-blue nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union canton
Norway
merchant flag 1111 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
red, white-blue nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union canton, swallowtail cut
Norway
state flag 1212 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
blue, yellow nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union mark
Sweden
merchant flag 1313 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
blue, yellow nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union mark, swallowtail cut
Sweden
war flag 1414 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
blue, white cross
Greece
land flag 1515 Flown on land within Greece.
9 blue-white stripes, blue canton containing a white cross
Greece
sea flag 1616 Flown at sea and abroad.
red-blue, white cross
Samos
blue, red-white pinwheel saltire outlined in white, red cross outlined in white
United Kingdom
white, red cross
England
blue, white saltire
Scotland
white, red saltire
Jersey
white, coat of arms
Monaco
white, coat of arms
Two Sicilies
state flag 1717 Flown by the government and navy.
blue-white
Two Sicilies
land flag 1818 An alternate flag flown only on land.
white-blue
San Marino
yellow-white, crossed keys emblem
Papal States
blue-white, coat of arms
Portugal
white-red
Malta
traditional flag 1919 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships.
yellow-red
Andorra
9 red-yellow stripes
Catalonia
yellow-blue pinwheel, red outline
Parma and Piacenza
black, white cross
Cornwall
white, black moors head emblem
Corsica
white, red dragon
Wales
green, yellow harp
Ireland
yellow, black lion
Flanders
blue British ensign, red border, yellow winged lion
Ionian Islands

German States


black-red-yellow
German Confederation
white, black eagle
Prussia
royal flag 2020 Flown by the monarchy and government.
white, black eagle and thin black on the top and bottom, swallowtail cut
Prussia
merchant flag 2121 Flown by merchant ships.
black-white
Prussia
state colours 2222 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land.
black-yellow
Austria
Imperial colours 2323 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
red-white-red, coat of arms
Austria
naval flag 2424 Flown by merchant and navy ships.
red-white-red, coat of arms
Hesse-Darmstadt
red-white
Hesse-Kassel
state colours 2525 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
white-red
Hesse-Homburg
state colours 2626 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
white-red, white square, coat of arms
Lübeck
state flag 2727 Flown by the government.
white-red
Lübeck
merchant flag 2828 Flown by merchant ships.
red, white castle
Hamburg
red-white-red-white, white canton, coat of arms
Frankfurt
8 red-white stripes, a counterchanged column towards the left
Bremen 2929 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common.
red-yellow
Lippe
state colours 3030 Designated as the official colours of Lippe. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
red-yellow
Baden 3131 Designed to be used as a diplomatic flag. Within the grand duchy, flags were made various configurations of red and yellow stripes.
yellow-red
Liechtenstein
princely flag 3232 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
black-red
Württemberg
state colours 3333 Designated as the official colours of Württemberg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. Black and yellow flags were also in use around this time.
black-red-yellow
Waldeck-Pyrmont
black-red-yellow
Reuss Elder Line
state colours 3434 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
black-red-yellow
Reuss Junior Line
state colours 3535 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
black-green-yellow
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
green-white
Saxon Duchies
state colours 3636 Designated as the official colours of the Ernestine duchies in Thuringia: Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
green-white
Anhalt
state colours 3737 Designated as the official colours of Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Dessau. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
white-green
Saxony
blue, red cross
Oldenburg
blue-white
Bavaria
state colours 3838 Designated as the official colours of Bavaria. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. There are many reported variants from the period, some with more stripes, others with the diamond pattern from the Bavarian arms.
white-blue
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
state colours 3939 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
blue-white
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
state colours 4040 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
blue-yellow
Brunswick
state colours 4141 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
orange-blue-orange
Nassau
red British ensign, white horse in a red rectangle over the jack
Hanover
merchant flag 4242 Flown by merchant ships.
yellow-white
Hanover
state colours 4343 Designated as the official colours of Hanover. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
green-red-white
Heligoland

Eastern Europe


yellow, black two-headed eagle
Russia
Imperial standard 4444 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
white-blue-red
Russia
trade flag 4545 Flown by merchant ships.
white-blue-red
Carniola
national colours 4646 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
white-blue-red
Slovakia 4747 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
red-blue-white
Serbia
national flag 4848 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red-blue-white, coat of arms and four white six-pointed stars
Serbia
state flag 4949 Flown the government and armed forces.
red-white-blue, coat of arms
Croatia and Slavonia 5050 The flying of the Croatian tricolour was banned within Austria.
red-white-green
Hungary 5151 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists.
red-yellow-blue
Romania 5252 Flown by advocates of Romanian independence and unification.
blue, red canton, three white 8-pointed stars, coat of arms
Moldavia
merchant flag 5353 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
yellow, red canton, three white 8-pointed stars, coat of arms
Wallachia
merchant flag 5454 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
yellow-blue
Ukraine 5555 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
white-red
Bohemia
state colours 5656 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Bohemia. Not an official flag, but informally regarded as a Czech national symbol. A white flag with the Bohemian coat of arms was also sometimes used.
red, white eagle
Poland
banner 5757 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
green, three crossed black arrows, 7 yellow stars
Circassia

South Asia and the Indian Ocean


orange, two sets of green-white-green-green-white stripes, coat of arms, Urdu inscriptions
Hyderabad
yellow, thick red stripe
Jammu and Kashmir 5858 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
red swallowtail, yellow fish under a yellow crown
Oudh
red swallowtail with white feet in the top left
Jhabua 5959 The raja's flag was rectangular
red swallowtail, white feet
Dewas
red swallowtail, image of Garuda
Kota
princely flag 6060 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
red triangular pennant, white moon
Nepal 6161 Nepal's flag started as two pennants which were flown together: the top one representing the king, and the bottom one representing the hereditary prime minister.
plain red pennant
Maldive Islands
three red triangular pennants
Kishangarh
red triangular pennant
Sailana
two purple triangular pennants, white Hanuman, yellow sun
Ajaigarh 6262 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
purple triangular pennant, yellow sun moon and building
Mewar 6363 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.
orange triangular pennant, thick purple border
Porbandar
orange swallowtail
Kolhapur 6464 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
red-white-yellow-green-blue striped triangular pennant
Jaipur
red-green-white-blue-yellow
Alwar
pink-blue-red-yellow-green
Idar
orange-green-red-blue-white
Sirohi
orange-white-red-yellow-green
Jodhpur
orange, yellow sun between two white snakes
Gwalior
princely flag 6565 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
yellow-red, umbrella
Jaisalmer
red-orange
Bikaner
red, yellow border
Banswara
blue-yellow
Dholpur
orange, yellow sun
Rajpipla
princely flag 6666 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
purple-white
Rajpipla
national flag 6767 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
red-white
Indore 6868 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
green-red striped pennant, white crescent and star, white swords
Kalat
red, white shell
Travancore
red, white serpent emblem
Manipur
red, white image of Hanuman between two gold weapons
Rajgarh
white, yellow sun
Sitamau 6969 The Raja's flag had a red sun
plain yellow
Bundi
12 red-white stripes
Alirajpur

East and Southeast Asia


white, red circle
Japan
red, white elephant
Siam
red, white and gold elephant
Luang Prabang
blue, white royal emblem
Champassak
white, peacock
Burma
plain white
Kelantan · Perak · Terengganu 7070 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
plain white
Jambi
sultan's flag 7171 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
blue, white canton
Jambi
nobles' flag 7272 Flown by nobles at sea.
blue, white canton
Jambi
merchant flag 7373 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
black, white canton
Johor
plain black
Pahang
sultan's flag 7474 Flown by the sultan.
plain yellow
Brunei
sultan's flag 7575 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
yellow, two brown flowers
Deli
sultan's flag 7676 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
yellow, vertically divided blue-red cross, yellow crown
Sarawak
plain red
Kedah
red, white crescent and 8-pointed star
Aceh
national flag 7777 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire.
red, white crossed swords, white circle
Aceh
sultan's flag 7878 Flown by the sultan and by warships. There are many other reported flags from the era, and it's not clear exactly how they were all used. Merchant ships often flew a plain red flag.
red-maroon-red
Asahan
purple, ornate white gate, two thin blue-white stripes
Sulu 7979 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.

Oceania


red-white-red, French flag outlined in white
Tahiti
white-red-white
Huahine
5 white-red stripes
Raʻiatea
5 red-white stripes
Bora Bora
four-by-four red-white chequerboard
Tahuata
white-blue-white, white star, four blue stars
Mangareva
white-red-blue-white-red-blue-white-red, union jack
Hawaiʻi
white British ensign, blue cross with 5 white 8-pointed stars
Australia
white, red cross, blue canton, white-outlined red cross, four white eight-pointed stars
New Zealand 8080 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
white, 2 red and 2 blue crosses around a red-blue monogram
ʻUvea

North America


13 red-white stripes, blue canton, 31 white stars
United States
white-red, thick blue stripe, white star
Texas
blue, white infinity symbol
Métis

Latin America


green, yellow diamond, coat of arms
Brazil
green-white-red, eagle and snake symbol
Mexico
red-white-red, coat of arms
Peru
national ensign 8181 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.
red-white-red
Peru
national flag 8282 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red-blue-yellow
New Granada
war flag 8383 Flown on warships, fortresses, public buildings, and by diplomats abroad.
red-blue-yellow, coat of arms
New Granada
merchant flag 8484 Flown by merchant ships.
white-blue-white, 7 white stars
Ecuador
9 white-blue stripes, white canton, yellow sun
Uruguay
blue-white-blue, gold sun
Argentina · Buenos Aires
blue-white-blue, seal
Honduras · Salvador
red-white-blue, star seal
Paraguay
front side
red-white-blue, lion seal
Paraguay
back side
red-white-yellow, blue-white-blue, coat of arms
Guatemala
blue-white-red-white-blue,
Costa Rica
national flag 8585 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
blue-white-red-white-blue, coat of arms
Costa Rica
national ensign 8686 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
5 blue-white stripes, red triangle, white star
Cuba 8787 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
blue-red, white square containing a coat of arms
Haiti
blue-red quarters, white cross, coat of arms
Dominican Republic
white-red, blue canton, white star
Chile
yellow-blue-red, coat of arms
Venezuela
national ensign 8888 Flown by the government and armed forces.
yellow-blue-red
Venezuela
national flag 8989 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red-yellow-green, coat of arms
Bolivia
state flag 9090 Flown by the government and armed forces.
red-yellow-green
Bolivia
national flag 9191 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-white-pink, coat of arms
Nicaragua

Events of 1855


ARCOT • The last Nawab of the Carnatic died on October 7. Arcot was annexed by the British.
Flag of Arcotright arrowX
JOHOR • Johor adopted a new flag. The white and black areas represented the Sultan and his subjects.
Plain white flagright arrow1855 flag of Johor
SIAM • The elephant flag, which had been the merchant ensign since 1839, was confirmed as the national flag in 1855. The old chakra flag was retired.
1807 flag of Siamright arrow1839 flag of Siam

Notes


1 The most commonly reported flag from the period. Flags with green, white and red stripes also seem to have been used. Probably flown exclusively on ships. The Turkish flag was the official national flag.
2 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram.
3 Arab monarchies, especially those in and around the Gulf, flew plain red flags from their ships. These weren't quite "national flags" in the modern sense, but European powers tended to view them that way.
4 Officially all of the Trucial States were supposed to fly a square red flag with a thick white border. In practice this flag became exclusively associated with the Al Qasimi dynasty. The other states mostly flew plain red flags.
5 Flown by exclusively by the sultan as a symbol of religious authority. Not really a "national flag" as we'd understand it in modern terms. The sultan also gave white flags to his vassal emirs within the Caliphate.
6 Flown by private citizens and merchant ships.
7 Flown by the government and navy.
8 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
9 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
10 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies.
11 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
12 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
13 Allowed to be flown by anyone. The union mark in the top-left corner of the flag was flown on its own as a joint diplomatic flag for Sweden and Norway.
14 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
15 Flown on land within Greece.
16 Flown at sea and abroad.
17 Flown by the government and navy.
18 An alternate flag flown only on land.
19 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships.
20 Flown by the monarchy and government.
21 Flown by merchant ships.
22 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land.
23 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
24 Flown by merchant and navy ships.
25 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
26 Designated as the official colours of Hesse. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
27 Flown by the government.
28 Flown by merchant ships.
29 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common.
30 Designated as the official colours of Lippe. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
31 Designed to be used as a diplomatic flag. Within the grand duchy, flags were made various configurations of red and yellow stripes.
32 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
33 Designated as the official colours of Württemberg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. Black and yellow flags were also in use around this time.
34 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
35 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
36 Designated as the official colours of the Ernestine duchies in Thuringia: Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
37 Designated as the official colours of Anhalt-Bernburg and Anhalt-Dessau. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
38 Designated as the official colours of Bavaria. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one. There are many reported variants from the period, some with more stripes, others with the diamond pattern from the Bavarian arms.
39 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
40 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
41 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
42 Flown by merchant ships.
43 Designated as the official colours of Hanover. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
44 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
45 Flown by merchant ships.
46 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
47 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
48 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
49 Flown the government and armed forces.
50 The flying of the Croatian tricolour was banned within Austria.
51 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists.
52 Flown by advocates of Romanian independence and unification.
53 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
54 Flown by rivergoing merchant vessels.
55 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
56 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Bohemia. Not an official flag, but informally regarded as a Czech national symbol. A white flag with the Bohemian coat of arms was also sometimes used.
57 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
58 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
59 The raja's flag was rectangular
60 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
61 Nepal's flag started as two pennants which were flown together: the top one representing the king, and the bottom one representing the hereditary prime minister.
62 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
63 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.
64 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
65 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
66 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
67 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
68 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
69 The Raja's flag had a red sun
70 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
71 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
72 Flown by nobles at sea.
73 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
74 Flown by the sultan.
75 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
76 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
77 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire.
78 Flown by the sultan and by warships. There are many other reported flags from the era, and it's not clear exactly how they were all used. Merchant ships often flew a plain red flag.
79 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
80 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
81 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.
82 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
83 Flown on warships, fortresses, public buildings, and by diplomats abroad.
84 Flown by merchant ships.
85 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
86 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
87 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
88 Flown by the government and armed forces.
89 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
90 Flown by the government and armed forces.
91 Allowed to be flown by anyone.