Middle East and Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
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.
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
Transvaal
Madagascar
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.
Monaco
national flag 2020 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2121 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Portugal
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.
Catalonia
Cornwall
Corsica
Wales
Iceland
Ireland
Flanders
Heligoland
Eastern Europe
Russia
Imperial standard 2323 The flag of the Emperor, often regarded as the Russian national flag during the period.
Russia
armorial flag 2424 Flown on government buildings, especially military buildings, and as patriotic decoration.
Russia
trade flag 2525 Flown by merchant ships.
Carniola
national colours 2626 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
Slovakia 2727 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
Croatia and Slavonia
Serbia
national flag 2828 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Serbia
state flag 2929 Flown the government and armed forces.
Montenegro
merchant flag 3030 Flown by the merchant fleet. The plain Serbian tricolour was also widely flown within in the country.
Montenegro
batallion flag 3131 Flown by the prince and the military.
Hungary
Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine 3232 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
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.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Poland
banner 3434 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
Albania 3535 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 3636 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 3737 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 3838 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Maldive Islands
Sailana 3939 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 4040 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
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.
Porbandar
Kolhapur 4242 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 4343 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown.
Jaisalmer
Nabha
Bikaner
Mysore
Wankaner
Banswara
Dholpur
Chhatarpur
Cambay
Rajpipla
princely flag 4444 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 4545 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 4646 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 4747 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 4848 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 4949 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
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.
Kalat
Baroda
princely flag 5151 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
Travancore
Manipur
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 5252 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Barwani
Sitamau 5353 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Bundi
Alirajpur
Khairpur
Baoni
Mandi 5454 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
Kishangarh
Bhopal 5555 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
Bilaspur
Sikkim
East and Southeast Asia
Japan
China 5656 Flown by naval ships. The merchant flag was red with a yellow circle.
Cambodia
Siam
Luang Prabang
Champassak
Burma
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.
Jambi
sultan's flag 5858 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
Jambi
nobles' flag 5959 Flown by nobles at sea.
Jambi
merchant flag 6060 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
Pahang
sultan's flag 6161 Flown by the sultan.
Perak
Brunei
sultan's flag 6262 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
Sarawak
Selangor
Perlis
Johor
state flag 6363 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 6464 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Sulu 6565 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
Kedah
Oceania
Samoa
Tonga
ʻUvea
Rimatara
Rarotonga
Rurutu
Huahine
Raʻiatea
Bora Bora
Hawaiʻi
Australia
New Zealand
blue ensign 6666 Officially only flown on government ships, but often used as a national flag.
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
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
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.
Peru
national flag 7171 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Honduras
Nicaragua
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
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.
Costa Rica
national ensign 7373 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Cuba 7474 Flown by Cuban nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
Salvador
Uruguay
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico 7575 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists and revolutionaries who sought independence from Spain.
Chile
Bolivia
state flag 7676 Flown by the government and armed forces.
Bolivia
national flag 7777 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Venezuela
national ensign 7878 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 7979 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Other International and Cultural Flags
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Events of 1881
MADAGASCAR • A new flag was adopted around 1881, showing the growing French influence.
MANGAREVA • Mangareva was annexed by France on February 21.
MONACO • Monaco adopted a new flag in the colours of the ruling House of Grimaldi on April 4.
MONTENEGRO • Montenegro adopted a new flag with the royal monogram of prince Nicholas I on the central stripe.
MYSORE • Mysore adopted a flag around 1881.
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.
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. ↩