The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1866 ▶︎

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 · Zanzibar · 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, cedar tree
Mount Lebanon
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.
7 white-orange stripes, Dutch flag
Orange Free State
red-white-blue, green stripe
South African Republic (Transvaal)
11 red-white stripes, blue canton, white star
Liberia

Western Europe


blue-white-red
France
green-white-red, coat of arms
Italy
national flag 66 Flown by private citizens and merchant ships. The "Italian Social Republic", the Nazi puppet regime in the north, flew the plain tricolour as a national flag and had a war flag with an eagle gripping a fasces. The anti-fascist Italian partisans flew either plain tricolours or tricolours with a white or red star on the middle stripe.
green-white-red, crowned coat of arms
Italy
state flag 77 Flown by the government and navy.
black-yellow-red
Belgium
red-white-blue
Netherlands
red-white-azure
Luxembourg
red-yellow-red, coat of arms
Spain
red-yellow-blue, crown
Andorra
red, white nordic cross
Denmark
national flag 88 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut
Denmark
sovereign flag 99 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 1010 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 1111 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
blue, yellow nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union mark
Sweden
merchant flag 1212 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 1313 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
blue, white cross
Greece
land flag 1414 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
9 blue-white stripes, blue canton containing a white cross
Greece
sea flag 1515 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
red-blue, white cross
Samos
red, white square cross
Switzerland
army flag 1616 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
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-blue, coat of arms
San Marino
yellow-white, crossed keys emblem
Papal States
blue-white, coat of arms
Portugal
white-red
Malta
traditional flag 1717 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships.
white, coat of arms
Monaco
9 red-yellow stripes
Catalonia
black, white cross
Cornwall
white, black moors head emblem
Corsica
white, red dragon
Wales
green, yellow harp
Ireland
yellow, black lion
Flanders

German States


white, black eagle
Prussia
royal flag 1818 Flown by the monarchy and government.
white, black eagle and thin black on the top and bottom
Prussia
merchant flag 1919 Flown by merchant ships.
black-white
Prussia
state colours 2020 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land.
black-yellow
Austria
Imperial colours 2121 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
red-white-red, coat of arms
Austria
naval flag 2222 Flown by merchant and navy ships.
red-white-red, coat of arms
Hesse
white-red, white square, coat of arms
Lübeck
state flag 2323 Flown by the government.
white-red
Lübeck
merchant flag 2424 Flown by merchant ships.
red, white castle
Hamburg
8 red-white stripes, a counterchanged column towards the left
Bremen 2525 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common.
red-yellow, coat of arms
Lippe
princely flag 2626 Flown by the prince and used as a state flag.
red-yellow
Lippe
state colours 2727 Designated as the official colours of Lippe. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
red-yellow
Baden 2828 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 2929 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
black-red
Württemberg
state colours 3030 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 3131 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 3232 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 3333 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.
white-green
Saxony
red-green-white
Anhalt 3434 The green and white state colours were still unofficially used on some flags.
blue-red-white
Schaumburg-Lippe
blue, red cross
Oldenburg
blue-white
Bavaria
state colours 3535 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.
blue-white
Schwarzburg
state colours 3636 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
blue-yellow
Brunswick
state colours 3737 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
blue-yellow-red
Mecklenburg
state colours 3838 Designated as the official colours of Mecklenburg-Schewerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
green-red-white
Heligoland

Eastern Europe


yellow, black two-headed eagle
Russia
Imperial standard 3939 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
black-yellow-white
Russia
armorial flag 4040 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
white-blue-red
Russia
trade flag 4141 Flown by merchant ships.
white-blue-red
Carniola
national colours 4242 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
white-blue-red
Slovakia 4343 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
blue-white
Croatia and Slavonia
red-blue-white
Serbia
national flag 4444 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red-blue-white, coat of arms and four white six-pointed stars
Serbia
state flag 4545 Flown the government and armed forces.
red-white-green
Hungary 4646 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists.
red-yellow-blue
Romania
yellow-blue
Ukraine 4747 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
white-red
Bohemia
state colours 4848 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 two-headed eagle, yellow lion
Montenegro
batallion flag 4949 Flown by the prince and the military.
red, white eagle
Poland
banner 5050 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
green, gold lion, slogan
Bulgaria 5151 A typical flag flown by Bulgarian nationalists and revolutionaries in the pre-independence period. The flag would sometimes have different inscriptions or colours, but a golden lion on green was a common element. The slogan here reads "Freedom or Death!"

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 5252 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
red double-tailed pennant outlined in green, white moon, white sun
Nepal
red swallowtail with white feet in the top left
Jhabua 5353 The raja's flag was rectangular
red swallowtail, white feet
Dewas
red swallowtail, image of Garuda
Kota
princely flag 5454 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
plain red pennant
Maldive Islands
three red triangular pennants
Kishangarh
red triangular pennant
Sailana
two purple triangular pennants, white Hanuman, yellow sun
Ajaigarh 5555 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
purple triangular pennant, yellow sun moon and building
Mewar 5656 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 5757 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
orange-yellow striped swallowtail pennant
Dhar
green triangular pennant
Jaora
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 5858 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 5959 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
purple-white
Rajpipla
national flag 6060 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
red-white
Indore 6161 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 6262 The Raja's flag had a red sun
plain yellow
Bundi
12 red-white stripes
Alirajpur
7 red-white stripes
Khairpur

East, Central and Southeast Asia


white, red circle
Japan
yellow pennant, blue dragon chasing a red orb
China 6363 Flown by naval ships.
red outlined in blue, white temple
Cambodia
red, white elephant
Siam
red, white and gold elephant
Luang Prabang
blue, white royal emblem
Champassak
white, peacock
Burma
plain white
Kelantan · Perak · Terengganu 6464 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 6565 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
blue, white canton
Jambi
nobles' flag 6666 Flown by nobles at sea.
blue, white canton
Jambi
merchant flag 6767 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
black, red canton, white saltire
Johor
plain black
Pahang
sultan's flag 6868 Flown by the sultan.
plain yellow
Brunei
sultan's flag 6969 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
yellow, vertically divided blue-red cross, yellow crown
Sarawak
yellow-red quarters, yellow crescent and star
Selangor
plain red
Kedah
red, white crescent and 8-pointed star
Kashgaria
red, white crescent and 8-pointed star
Aceh
national flag 7070 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 7171 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.
purple, ornate white gate, two thin blue-white stripes
Sulu 7272 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.

Oceania


red, white crescent, small white star
Samoa
red, white canton, red cross
Tonga
red, white maltese cross
ʻUvea
red-white-red, red maltese cross
Rimatara
red-white-red, French flag outlined in white
Tahiti
red-white-red, three blue stars
Rarotonga
white-blue-white, white star, four blue stars
Mangareva
white-red,
Rurutu
white-red-white
Huahine
5 white-red stripes
Raʻiatea
5 red-white stripes
Bora Bora
four-by-four red-white chequerboard
Tahuata
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 7373 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
blue, white eight-pointed star
Fiji

North America


13 red-white stripes, blue canton, 36 white stars
United States
white-red, thick blue stripe, white star
Texas
green-white-pink
Newfoundland 7474 An unofficial local flag. The British colony of Newfoundland had no distinctive local symbols.
blue, white infinity symbol
Métis

Latin America


green, yellow diamond, coat of arms
Brazil
green-white-red, eagle and snake symbol
Mexico
Imperialist flag 7575 Flown by the French-backed Second Mexican Empire
green-white-red, eagle and snake symbol
Mexico
Republican flag 7676 Flown by Republican guerrillas opposed to the Imperial regime.
red-white-red, coat of arms
Peru
national ensign 7777 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 7878 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
blue-white-blue, gold sun
Argentina
blue-white-blue, 5 blue stars
Honduras
blue-white-blue, seal
Nicaragua
red-white-blue, star seal
Paraguay
front side
red-white-blue, lion seal
Paraguay
back side
blue-white-red-yellow-red-white-blue, coat of arms
Guatemala
blue-white-red-white-blue,
Costa Rica
national flag 7979 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 8080 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
5 blue-white stripes, red triangle, white star
Cuba 8181 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
9 blue-white stripes, red canton, 11 white stars
Salvador
9 white-blue stripes, white canton, yellow sun
Uruguay
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
red-yellow-green, coat of arms
Bolivia
state flag 8282 Flown by the government and armed forces.
red-yellow-green
Bolivia
national flag 8383 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-blue-red, cluster of 7 white stars, coat of arms
Venezuela
national ensign 8484 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
yellow-blue-red, cluster of 7 white stars
Venezuela
national flag 8585 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-blue-red
Colombia
yellow-blue-red
Ecuador

Other International and Cultural Flags


white, red cross
Red Cross

Events of 1866


ANDORRA • Andorra adopted a new flag around 1866.
1806 flag of Andorraright arrow1866 flag of Andorra
GERMANY • The Austro-Prussian War ended on August 23 with the signing of the Peace of Prague. The German Confederation was officially dissolved. The black-red-gold tricolour, which had been flown by Austria and its southern allies during the war, fell out of use.
right arrowX
Shortly after, on September 20, Prussia annexed Frankfurt, Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Nassau.
Flag of FrankfurtFlag of HanoverFlag of Hesse-KasselFlag of Nassauright arrowX
Prussia also annexed the former territory of Hesse-Homburg, whose ruler had died without an heir on March 24.
Flag of Hesse-Homburgright arrowX
Sometime this year, the two Schwarzburg principalities agreed to have a single common flag.
Flag of Schwarzburg-SondershausenFlag of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadtright arrow1866 flag of Schwarzburg
HONDURAS • Honduras adopted a distinct flag on March 7. The five stars represented the five states of the former Federal Republic of Central America.
Plain Central American tricolourright arrow1866 flag of Honduras
TONGA • Tonga adopted a new flag, designed by Methodist missionary Shirley Waldemar Baker at the request of King George Tupou I.
1862 flag of Tongaright arrow1866 flag of Tonga

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. The "Italian Social Republic", the Nazi puppet regime in the north, flew the plain tricolour as a national flag and had a war flag with an eagle gripping a fasces. The anti-fascist Italian partisans flew either plain tricolours or tricolours with a white or red star on the middle stripe.
7 Flown by the government and navy.
8 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
9 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies.
10 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.
11 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
12 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.
13 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
14 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
15 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
16 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
17 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships.
18 Flown by the monarchy and government.
19 Flown by merchant ships.
20 The traditional heraldic colours of Prussia, often used as a flag on land.
21 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
22 Flown by merchant and navy ships.
23 Flown by the government.
24 Flown by merchant ships.
25 The number of stripes could vary but eight was the most common.
26 Flown by the prince and used as a state flag.
27 Designated as the official colours of Lippe. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
28 Designed to be used as a diplomatic flag. Within the grand duchy, flags were made various configurations of red and yellow stripes.
29 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
30 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.
31 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
32 Designated as the official colours of Reuss. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
33 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.
34 The green and white state colours were still unofficially used on some flags.
35 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.
36 Designated as the official colours of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
37 Designated as the official colours of Brunswick. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
38 Designated as the official colours of Mecklenburg-Schewerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Not technically a national flag, but often used as one.
39 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
40 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
41 Flown by merchant ships.
42 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
43 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
44 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
45 Flown the government and armed forces.
46 Prohibited within the Austrian Empire but still flown by Hungarian nationalists.
47 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
48 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.
49 Flown by the prince and the military.
50 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
51 A typical flag flown by Bulgarian nationalists and revolutionaries in the pre-independence period. The flag would sometimes have different inscriptions or colours, but a golden lion on green was a common element. The slogan here reads "Freedom or Death!"
52 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
53 The raja's flag was rectangular
54 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
55 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
56 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.
57 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
58 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
59 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
60 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
61 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
62 The Raja's flag had a red sun
63 Flown by naval ships.
64 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
65 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
66 Flown by nobles at sea.
67 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
68 Flown by the sultan.
69 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
70 Flown by the government, particularly at sea, as a way of nominally invoking the protection of the Ottoman Empire.
71 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.
72 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
73 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
74 An unofficial local flag. The British colony of Newfoundland had no distinctive local symbols.
75 Flown by the French-backed Second Mexican Empire
76 Flown by Republican guerrillas opposed to the Imperial regime.
77 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.
78 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
79 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
80 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
81 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
82 Flown by the government and armed forces.
83 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
84 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
85 Allowed to be flown by anyone.