Middle East and Africa
Turkey
Tunis
Egypt
Jebel Shammar
Nejd
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.
Morocco 22 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram.
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.
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.
Madagascar
Persia
Mount Lebanon
Futa Jallon
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.
Orange Free State
Liberia
Western Europe
France
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.
Italy
state flag 77 Flown by the government and navy.
Belgium
Austria
Imperial colours 88 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
Austria
naval flag 99 Flown by navy ships. Direct predecessor of the modern Austrian flag.
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Germany
Spain
Andorra
Switzerland
army flag 1010 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
Denmark
national flag 1111 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1212 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 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.
Norway
state flag 1414 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Sweden
merchant flag 1515 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.
Sweden
war flag 1616 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
Greece
land flag 1717 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 1818 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Samos
United Kingdom
England
Scotland
Jersey
San Marino
Liechtenstein
princely flag 1919 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
Portugal
Malta
traditional flag 2020 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
Monaco
Catalonia
Cornwall
Corsica
Wales
Iceland
Ireland
Flanders
Heligoland
Eastern Europe
Russia
Imperial standard 2121 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
Russia
armorial flag 2222 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
Russia
trade flag 2323 Flown by merchant ships.
Carniola
national colours 2424 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
Slovakia 2525 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
Croatia and Slavonia
Serbia
national flag 2626 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Serbia
state flag 2727 Flown the government and armed forces.
Hungary
Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine 2828 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
Bohemia
state colours 2929 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.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro
batallion flag 3030 Flown by the prince and the military.
Montenegro
merchant flag 3131 Unofficial flag of the merchant fleet.
Montenegro
batallion flag 3232 Flown by the prince and the military.
Poland
banner 3333 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
Albania 3434 A typical flag flown by Albanian nationalists. The exact design of the eagle was not fixed.
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
Hyderabad
Jammu and Kashmir 3535 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 3636 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 3737 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Maldive Islands
Sailana 3838 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 3939 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 4040 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.
Porbandar
Kolhapur 4141 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
Dhar
Jaora
Jaipur
Alwar
Idar
Sirohi
Jodhpur
Gwalior
princely flag 4242 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
Jaisalmer
Nabha
Bikaner
Wankaner
Banswara
Dholpur
Chhatarpur
Cambay
Rajpipla
princely flag 4343 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 4444 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 4545 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 4646 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 4747 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 4848 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
Suket 4949 The raja's flag had a gold tiger head in the middle. The war flag was a red flag with the state coat of arms on it.
Kalat
Baroda
princely flag 5050 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
Travancore
Manipur
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 5151 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Barwani
Sitamau 5252 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Bundi
Alirajpur
Khairpur
Baoni
Mandi 5353 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
Kishangarh
Bhopal 5454 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
Bilaspur
Sikkim
East and Southeast Asia
Japan
China 5555 Flown by naval ships. The merchant flag was red with a yellow circle.
Cambodia
Siam
Luang Prabang
Champassak
Burma
Kelantan · Terengganu 5656 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
Jambi
sultan's flag 5757 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
Jambi
nobles' flag 5858 Flown by nobles at sea.
Jambi
merchant flag 5959 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
Pahang
sultan's flag 6060 Flown by the sultan.
Perak
Brunei
sultan's flag 6161 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
Sarawak
Selangor
Perlis
Johor
state flag 6262 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 6363 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Sulu 6464 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
Kedah
Oceania
Samoa
Tonga
ʻUvea
Rimatara
Tahiti
Rarotonga
Mangareva
Rurutu
Huahine
Raʻiatea
Bora Bora
Tahuata
Hawaiʻi
Australia
New Zealand
blue ensign 6565 Officially only flown on government ships, but often used as a national flag.
New Zealand
unofficial flag 6666 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
North America
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 6969 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 7070 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Honduras
Nicaragua
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 7171 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 7272 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Cuba 7373 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
Salvador
Uruguay
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico 7474 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
Chile
Bolivia
state flag 7575 Flown by the government and armed forces.
Bolivia
national flag 7676 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Venezuela
national ensign 7777 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 7878 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Other International and Cultural Flags
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Events of 1879
PERAK • A tricolour state flag was adopted on January 31. The three stripes represented the Sultan, the Crown Prince, and the Deputy Crown Prince.
SAMOA • On December 15, under the terms of a new constitution signed on the deck of a German warship, Malietoa Talavou was confirmed as King of Samoa with his nephew Malietoa Laupepa serving as Regent. The kingdom agreed to abandon its American-inspired flag in an agreement with Germany on December 23. It was replaced by a new flag with a large white cross which was to "show the unity" of the politically-divided country.
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 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land. ↩
9 Flown by navy ships. Direct predecessor of the modern Austrian flag. ↩
10 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag. ↩
11 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
12 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
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 only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
15 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. ↩
16 Flown on government buildings and by the military. ↩
17 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
18 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
19 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. ↩
20 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
21 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period. ↩
22 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration. ↩
23 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
24 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia. ↩
25 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag. ↩
26 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
27 Flown the government and armed forces. ↩
28 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed. ↩
29 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. ↩
30 Flown by the prince and the military. ↩
31 Unofficial flag of the merchant fleet. ↩
32 Flown by the prince and the military. ↩
33 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol. ↩
34 A typical flag flown by Albanian nationalists. The exact design of the eagle was not fixed. ↩
35 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
36 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
37 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
38 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag. ↩
39 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
40 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. ↩
41 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
42 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown. ↩
43 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
44 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
45 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
46 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it. ↩
47 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand. ↩
48 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes. ↩
49 The raja's flag had a gold tiger head in the middle. The war flag was a red flag with the state coat of arms on it. ↩
50 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown. ↩
51 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white. ↩
52 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
53 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it. ↩
54 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it. ↩
55 Flown by naval ships. The merchant flag was red with a yellow circle. ↩
56 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added. ↩
57 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships. ↩
58 Flown by nobles at sea. ↩
59 Flown by commoner merchants at sea. ↩
60 Flown by the sultan. ↩
61 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag. ↩
62 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships. ↩
63 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag. ↩
64 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known. ↩
65 Officially only flown on government ships, but often used as a national flag. ↩
66 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country. ↩
67 An unofficial but widespread national flag. ↩
68 An unofficial local flag. The British colony of Newfoundland had no distinctive local symbols. ↩
69 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. ↩
70 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
71 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
72 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
73 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain. ↩
74 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain. ↩
75 Flown by the government and armed forces. ↩
76 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
77 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
78 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩