Middle East and Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
Egypt
Jebel Shammar
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.
Sokoto Caliphate
green flag of Islam 22 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.
Morocco 33 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 44 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 55 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
Swaziland
Orange Free State
South African Republic (Transvaal)
Madagascar
Congo 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
Denmark
national flag 1010 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1111 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 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.
Norway
state flag 1313 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Sweden
merchant flag 1414 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 1515 Flown on government buildings and by the military.
Greece
land flag 1616 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 1717 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 1818 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. Blue and red flags were also in use.
Monaco
national flag 1919 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2020 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Portugal
Malta
traditional flag 2121 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
Catalonia
Cornwall
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Iceland
Ireland
Flanders
Eastern Europe
Russia
national flag 2222 Flown for most purposes.
Russia
armorial flag 2323 Flown on some military buildings.
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.
Montenegro
merchant flag 2828 Flown by the merchant fleet. The plain Serbian tricolour was also widely flown within in the country.
Montenegro
batallion flag 2929 Flown by the prince and the military.
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia
Romania
Ukraine 3030 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
Bohemia
state colours 3131 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 3232 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
Albania 3333 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 3434 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 3535 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 3636 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Maldive Islands
Sailana 3737 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 3838 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 3939 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 4040 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 4141 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
Bharatpur
Kochin
Rajpipla
princely flag 4242 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 4343 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 4444 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 4545 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 4646 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 4747 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
Suket 4848 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
Bahawalpur
Baroda
princely flag 4949 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
Travancore
Manipur
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 5050 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Barwani
Sitamau 5151 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Rewa
princely flag 5252 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
Bundi
Karauli
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.
Rampur
Bilaspur
Sikkim
East and Southeast Asia
Japan
Korea
China 5555 Flown by the government and by naval ships. The merchant flag was red with a yellow circle.
Cambodia
Siam
Luang Prabang
Champassak
Jambi
sultan's flag 5656 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships.
Jambi
nobles' flag 5757 Flown by nobles at sea.
Jambi
merchant flag 5858 Flown by commoner merchants at sea.
Pahang
Perak
Kelantan · Terengganu 5959 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added.
Brunei
sultan's flag 6060 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag.
Sarawak
Selangor
Perlis
Johor
state flag 6161 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 6262 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Sulu 6363 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known.
Kedah
Burma 6464 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag.
Oceania
Samoa
Tonga
Rurutu
Wallis and Futuna
Rimatara
Cook Islands
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.
Abemama
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 governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
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
Buddhist Flag
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Events of 1891
COOK ISLANDS • The Cook Islands Federation was constituted on June 5, with a federal parliament made up of delegates from each of the islands. The old Rarotonga flag was used for the new government.
GALICIA • The Spanish maritime province of A Coruña adopted a new ensign with a diagonal blue stripe on April 6. The new flag soon became associated with the Galicia region as a whole.
ARABIA • The Saudi Emirate of Nejd was conquered by the Rashidi Emirate of Jebel Shammar on January 24.
RIMATARA • The Kingdom of Rimatara, which had become a French Protectorate in 1889, added the French tricolour to its flag.
UNITED STATES • A 44th star (for Wyoming) was added to the flag on July 4.
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 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. ↩
3 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram. ↩
4 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. ↩
5 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. ↩
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 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
11 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
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 only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
14 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. ↩
15 Flown on government buildings and by the military. ↩
16 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
17 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
18 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. Blue and red flags were also in use. ↩
19 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
20 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
21 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
22 Flown for most purposes. ↩
23 Flown on some military buildings. ↩
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 the merchant fleet. The plain Serbian tricolour was also widely flown within in the country. ↩
29 Flown by the prince and the military. ↩
30 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed. ↩
31 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. ↩
32 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol. ↩
33 A typical flag flown by Albanian nationalists. The exact design of the eagle was not fixed. ↩
34 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
35 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
36 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
37 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag. ↩
38 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
39 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. ↩
40 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
41 Flag of the maharaja, also used as a state flag. Plain saffron flags were also sometimes flown. ↩
42 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
43 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
44 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
45 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it. ↩
46 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand. ↩
47 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes. ↩
48 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. ↩
49 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown. ↩
50 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white. ↩
51 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
52 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag. ↩
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 the government and by naval ships. The merchant flag was red with a yellow circle. ↩
56 Flown by the sultan and by naval ships. ↩
57 Flown by nobles at sea. ↩
58 Flown by commoner merchants at sea. ↩
59 Malay monarchs often flew plain white flags. These standards eventually evolved into individual state flags as more colours and symbols were added. ↩
60 Flown by the sultan and also used as an unofficial state flag. ↩
61 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships. ↩
62 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag. ↩
63 Reported flag from this era. It's exact use isn't known. ↩
64 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag. ↩
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 governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
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. ↩