The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1881 ▶︎

Middle East and Africa


red, white crescent and star
Turkey
red, white disc, red crescent and star
Tunisia
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, 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
Transvaal
blue-white-red, red crescent
Madagascar
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
black-yellow
Austria
Imperial colours 88 The dynastic colours of the Hapsburg monarchy, often used as a flag on land.
red-white-red, coat of arms
Austria
naval flag 99 Flown by navy ships. Direct predecessor of the modern Austrian flag.
red-white-blue
Netherlands
red-white-azure
Luxembourg
black-white-red
Germany
red-yellow-red, coat of arms
Spain
red-yellow-blue, crown
Andorra
red, white square cross
Switzerland
army flag 1010 Flag of the federal army, treated as an unofficial national flag.
red, white nordic cross
Denmark
national flag 1111 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut
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.
red, white-blue nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union canton
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.
red, white-blue nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union canton, swallowtail cut
Norway
state flag 1414 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
blue, yellow nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union mark
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.
blue, yellow nordic cross, Sweden-Norway union mark, swallowtail cut
Sweden
war flag 1616 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
blue, white cross
Greece
land flag 1717 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 1818 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
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-blue, coat of arms
San Marino
yellow-red
Liechtenstein
princely flag 1919 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag.
red-white
Monaco
national flag 2020 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
white, coat of arms
Monaco
princely flag 2121 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
blue-white, coat of arms
Portugal
white-red
Malta
traditional flag 2222 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
9 red-yellow stripes
Catalonia
black, white cross
Cornwall
white, black moors head emblem
Corsica
white, red dragon
Wales
blue, white falcon
Iceland
green, yellow harp
Ireland
yellow, black lion
Flanders
green-red-white
Heligoland

Eastern Europe


yellow, black two-headed eagle
Russia
Imperial standard 2323 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
black-yellow-white
Russia
armorial flag 2424 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
white-blue-red
Russia
trade flag 2525 Flown by merchant ships.
white-blue-red
Carniola
national colours 2626 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
white-blue-red
Slovakia 2727 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 2828 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red-blue-white, coat of arms
Serbia
state flag 2929 Flown the government and armed forces.
red-blue-white, red monogram, crown
Montenegro
merchant flag 3030 Flown by the merchant fleet. The plain Serbian tricolour was also widely flown within in the country.
red, white two-headed eagle, yellow lion
Montenegro
batallion flag 3131 Flown by the prince and the military.
red-white-green, coat of arms
Hungary
white-green-red
Bulgaria
blue-yellow-red
Romania
yellow-blue
Ukraine 3232 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
white-red
Bohemia
state colours 3333 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-yellow, coat of arms
Bosnia and Herzegovina
red, white eagle
Poland
banner 3434 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
red, black two-headed eagle
Albania 3535 A typical flag flown by Albanian nationalists. The exact design of the eagle was not fixed.

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 3636 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 3737 The raja's flag was rectangular
red swallowtail, white feet
Dewas
red swallowtail, image of Garuda
Kota
princely flag 3838 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
plain red pennant
Maldive Islands
red triangular pennant, coat of arms
Sailana 3939 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
two purple triangular pennants, white Hanuman, yellow sun
Ajaigarh 4040 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
purple triangular pennant, yellow sun moon and building
Mewar 4141 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 4242 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-green-white-blue-yellow, yellow sun
Jaipur
red-green-white-blue-yellow
Alwar
pink-blue-red-yellow-green
Idar
orange-green-red-blue-white
Sirohi
orange-white-red-yellow-green, eagle
Jodhpur
orange, yellow sun between two white snakes
Gwalior
princely flag 4343 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
yellow-red, umbrella
Jaisalmer
yellow-red
Nabha
red-orange
Bikaner
red-maroon, coat of arms
Mysore
red, yellow coat of arms
Wankaner
red, yellow border
Banswara
blue-yellow
Dholpur
blue-white
Chhatarpur
blue, coat of arms
Cambay
orange, yellow sun
Rajpipla
princely flag 4444 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
purple-white
Rajpipla
national flag 4545 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
red-white
Indore 4646 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
maroon-white, yellow coat of arms
Bhavnagar 4747 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
green-white
Tonk 4848 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
white-green
Garhwal 4949 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
red-green
Suket 5050 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.
green-red striped pennant, white crescent and star, white swords
Kalat
red, white arm holding a sword
Baroda
princely flag 5151 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
red, white shell
Travancore
red, white serpent emblem
Manipur
red, white image of Hanuman between two gold weapons
Rajgarh
red, thick white border, white sun
Pratapgarh 5252 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
red, yellow sun moon and dagger
Barwani
white, yellow sun
Sitamau 5353 The Raja's flag had a red sun
yellow, white sun, white border
Faridkot
plain yellow
Bundi
12 red-white stripes
Alirajpur
7 red-white stripes
Khairpur
green-yellow-green
Baoni
green-yellow-blue
Mandi 5454 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
black-white-red
Kishangarh
black-white-green
Bhopal 5555 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
green, two-tone yellow border
Bilaspur
white, yellow wheel surrounded by colourful decorations, ornate border
Sikkim

East and Southeast Asia


white, red circle
Japan
yellow pennant, blue dragon chasing a red orb
China 5656 Flown by naval ships. The merchant flag was red with a yellow circle.
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 · Terengganu 5757 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 5858 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
blue, white canton
Jambi
nobles' flag 5959 Flown by nobles at sea.
blue, white canton
Jambi
merchant flag 6060 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
plain black
Pahang
sultan's flag 6161 Flown by the sultan.
white-yellow-black
Perak
plain yellow
Brunei
sultan's flag 6262 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
yellow, vertically divided black-red cross, yellow crown
Sarawak
yellow-red quarters, yellow crescent and star
Selangor
yellow-blue
Perlis
black, red canton, white crescent and star
Johor
state flag 6363 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
blue, red canton, white crescent and star
Johor
merchant flag 6464 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
purple, ornate white gate, two thin blue-white stripes
Sulu 6565 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
plain red
Kedah

Oceania


red, white cross, white star
Samoa
red, white canton, red cross
Tonga
red, white maltese cross
ʻUvea
red-white-red, red maltese cross
Rimatara
red-white-red, three blue stars
Rarotonga
white-red,
Rurutu
white-red-white
Huahine
5 white-red stripes, French flag
Raʻiatea
5 red-white stripes
Bora Bora
white-red-blue-white-red-blue-white-red, union jack
Hawaiʻi
white British ensign, blue cross with 5 white 8-pointed stars
Australia
blue British ensign, red southern cross outlined in white
New Zealand
blue ensign 6666 Officially only flown on government ships, but often used as a national flag.
white, red cross, blue canton, white-outlined red cross, four white eight-pointed stars
New Zealand
unofficial flag 6767 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.

North America


13 red-white stripes, blue canton, 38 white stars
United States
red British ensign, coat of arms
Canada 6868 An unofficial but widespread national flag.
white-red, thick blue stripe, white star
Texas
green-white-pink
Newfoundland 6969 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
red-white-red, coat of arms
Peru
national ensign 7070 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 7171 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
blue-white-blue containing an emblem
Guatemala
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-white-blue,
Costa Rica
national flag 7272 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 7373 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
5 blue-white stripes, red triangle, white star
Cuba 7474 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
9 blue-white stripes, red canton, 14 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
blue-red, white cross, white star
Puerto Rico 7575 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
white-red, blue canton, white star
Chile
red-yellow-green, coat of arms
Bolivia
state flag 7676 Flown by the government and armed forces.
red-yellow-green
Bolivia
national flag 7777 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-blue-red, cluster of 7 white stars, coat of arms
Venezuela
national ensign 7878 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 7979 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-blue-red
Colombia
yellow-blue-red
Ecuador

Other International and Cultural Flags


white, red cross
Red Cross
white, red crescent
Red Crescent

Events of 1881


MADAGASCAR • A new flag was adopted around 1881, showing the growing French influence.
1817 flag of Madagascarright arrow1881 flag of Madagascar
MANGAREVA • Mangareva was annexed by France on February 21.
Flag of Mangarevaright arrowX
MONACO • Monaco adopted a new flag in the colours of the ruling House of Grimaldi on April 4.
1814 flag of Monacoright arrow1881 national flag of Monaco1881 state flag of Monaco
MONTENEGRO • Montenegro adopted a new flag with the royal monogram of prince Nicholas I on the central stripe.
1880 flag of Montenegroright arrow1881 flag of Montenegro
MYSORE • Mysore adopted a flag around 1881.
Flag of Mysore
TRANSVAAL • The first Boer War ended with the signing of the Pretoria Convention on August 3. Great Britain recognized the former South African Republic as a self-governing Transvaal Territory under British suzerainty.
Flag of Transvaal
TUNISIA • Tunisia was conquered by France and became a protectorate on May 12. The old flag was retained but the French tricolour would sometimes be added into the corner unofficially.

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 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
21 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
22 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
23 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
24 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
25 Flown by merchant ships.
26 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
27 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
28 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
29 Flown the government and armed forces.
30 Flown by the merchant fleet. The plain Serbian tricolour was also widely flown within in the country.
31 Flown by the prince and the military.
32 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
33 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.
34 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
35 A typical flag flown by Albanian nationalists. The exact design of the eagle was not fixed.
36 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
37 The raja's flag was rectangular
38 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
39 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
40 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
41 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.
42 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
43 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
44 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
45 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
46 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
47 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
48 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
49 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
50 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.
51 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
52 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
53 The Raja's flag had a red sun
54 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
55 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
56 Flown by naval ships. The merchant flag was red with a yellow circle.
57 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
58 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
59 Flown by nobles at sea.
60 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
61 Flown by the sultan.
62 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
63 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
64 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
65 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
66 Officially only flown on government ships, but often used as a national flag.
67 The former flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which remained in use as an unofficial symbol of the country.
68 An unofficial but widespread national flag.
69 An unofficial local flag. The British colony of Newfoundland had no distinctive local symbols.
70 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.
71 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
72 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
73 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
74 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
75 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
76 Flown by the government and armed forces.
77 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
78 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
79 Allowed to be flown by anyone.