The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1912 ▶︎

Sub-Saharan Africa


green-yellow-red
Ethiopia
11 red-white stripes, blue canton, white star
Liberia
blue, yellow star
Congo
plain red
Zanzibar
red British ensign, white disc, coat of arms
South Africa

Middle East and North 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
plain red
Morocco 11 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
red, thick white serrated stripe
Bahrain 22 The number of points could vary. Some flags even had a completely straight-edged stripe.
red, thick white outline
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah 33 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.
green-white-red, yellow lion and sun
Persia
state flag 44 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens.
green-white-red
Persia
national flag 55 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
white, cedar tree
Mount Lebanon
green, white shahadah above a white sword
Nejd

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
red, white nordic cross
Denmark
national flag 1010 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut
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.
red, white-blue nordic cross
Norway
merchant flag 1212 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red, white-blue nordic cross, swallowtail cut
Norway
state flag 1313 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
blue, yellow nordic cross
Sweden 1414 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
blue, white nordic cross
Iceland
blue, white cross
Greece
land flag 1515 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 1616 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
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 1717 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. Blue and red flags were also in use.
red-white
Monaco
national flag 1818 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
white, coat of arms
Monaco
princely flag 1919 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
white-red
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.
red, thick green stripe, yellow armillary sphere, coat of arms
Portugal
9 red-yellow stripes
Catalonia
red, green saltire, white cross
Basque Country
black, white cross
Cornwall
white, blue diagonal stripe
Galicia
white, black moors head emblem
Corsica
white, red dragon
Wales
green, yellow harp
Ireland
yellow, black lion
Flanders

Eastern Europe


white-blue-red
Russia
white-blue-red
Carniola
national colours 2121 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
white-blue-red
Slovakia 2222 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 2323 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
red-blue-white, coat of arms
Serbia
state flag 2424 Flown the government and armed forces.
red-blue-white, red monogram, crown
Montenegro
merchant flag 2525 Flown by the merchant fleet. The plain Serbian tricolour was also widely flown within in the country.
red-blue-white, white two-headed eagle
Montenegro
royal flag 2626 Flown by the king and the government.
red-white-green, coat of arms
Hungary
white-green-red
Bulgaria
blue-black-white
Estonia
blue-yellow-red
Romania
yellow-blue
Ukraine 2727 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
white-red
Bohemia
state colours 2828 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
Bosnia and Herzegovina
red, white eagle
Poland
banner 2929 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
red, black two-headed eagle
Albania

South Asia and the Indian Ocean


green-yellow-red, 8 white flowers, blue Hindi writing, white sun and moon
India 3030 The "Calcutta flag" flown by independence activists. British India had several colonial flags. A red civil ensign with the Star of India medal on it was used to represent India at international sporting events.
black, white mosque
Afghanistan
orange, two sets of green-white-green-green-white stripes, coat of arms, Urdu inscriptions
Hyderabad
yellow, thick red stripe
Jammu and Kashmir 3131 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 3232 The raja's flag was rectangular
red swallowtail, white feet
Dewas
red swallowtail, image of Garuda
Kota
princely flag 3333 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
red triangular pennant, thin black stripe
Benares
red triangular pennant, coat of arms
Sailana 3434 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
two purple triangular pennants, white Hanuman, yellow sun
Ajaigarh 3535 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
purple triangular pennant, yellow sun moon and building
Mewar 3636 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 swallowtail
Kolhapur 3737 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
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, red diagonal band, a yellow sun between two white snakes
Gwalior
yellow-red, umbrella
Jaisalmer
yellow-red
Nabha
red-orange
Bikaner
red-maroon, coat of arms
Mysore
red, yellow coat of arms
Wankaner
red, coat of arms
Manipur
red, thick yellow border, coat of arms
Charkhari
red, yellow border
Banswara
blue-yellow
Dholpur
blue-white
Chhatarpur
blue-white, coat of arms
Kapurthala
blue, coat of arms
Cambay
orange-white-blue
Bharatpur
pink, coat of arms, blue elephants
Kochin
pink-blue-pink, wavy yellow line, yellow lantern
Dhrangadhra
orange, yellow sun
Rajpipla
princely flag 3838 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
purple-white
Rajpipla
national flag 3939 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
red-white
Indore 4040 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
maroon-white, yellow coat of arms
Bhavnagar 4141 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
green-white
Tonk 4242 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
white-green
Garhwal 4343 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
red-green
Suket 4444 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-yellow-green, black crescent and star
Bahawalpur
red, white arm holding a sword
Baroda
princely flag 4545 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
red, white coat of arms
Kutch
red, white shell
Travancore
red, white image of Hanuman between two gold weapons
Rajgarh
red, thick white border, white sun
Pratapgarh 4646 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
red, yellow sun
Cooch Behar
red, yellow sun moon and dagger
Barwani
red, white image of Hanuman
Porbandar
white, yellow sun
Sitamau 4747 The Raja's flag had a red sun
yellow, white sun, white border
Faridkot
yellow, white hand, red fire
Rewa
princely flag 4848 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
plain yellow
Bundi
plain beige
Jhalawar
plain tan
Karauli
7 black-yellow diagonal stripes
Orchha
12 red-white stripes
Alirajpur
7 red-white stripes
Khairpur
purple-blue-azure-green-yellow-orange-red, coat of arms
Dungarpur
green-yellow-green
Baoni
green-yellow-blue
Mandi 4949 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
black-white-red
Kishangarh
black-white-green
Bhopal 5050 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
green, black saltire, yellow coat of arms
Jaora
green, two yellow swords
Rampur
green, two-tone yellow border
Bilaspur
white, yellow wheel surrounded by colourful decorations, ornate border
Sikkim
red, black-white barberpole-striped edge
Maldive Islands
green, white crescent and star
Muslim League 5151 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for Muslim interests within British India. The direct predecessor of the flag of Pakistan.

East, Central and Southeast Asia


white, red circle
Japan
white, red-blue taeguk, four blue trigrams
Korea 5252 Flown by the Korean independence movement. Banned under Japanese occupation.
red-yellow-blue-white-black
China
ornate yellow field, red outline, emblem, three red streamers adorned with writing
Mongolia
red outlined in blue, white temple
Cambodia
red, white elephant
Siam
red, white and gold elephant emblem, French flag
Laos
blue-red, white triangle, yellow sun, three yellow stars
Philippines 5353 Banned by the American colonial government. The Insular Government of the Philippine Islands had no official flag at this time.
white-yellow-red-black, white oval, tiger
Federated Malay States
yellow, diagonal white-black stripes
Brunei
black, thick white stripe
Terengganu
yellow, vertically divided black-red cross, yellow crown
Sarawak
yellow-blue
Perlis
black, red canton, white crescent and star
Johor
state flag 5454 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
blue, red canton, white crescent and star
Johor
merchant flag 5555 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
red, white crescent and star, swords, and 5 white stars in a blue canton
Moro 5656 A typical example of a Moro battle flag. No two were exactly alike, but they all looked roughly like this. Sometimes the daggers were crossed, or the crescent and star was replaced by a white and blue emblem.
red, coat of arms
Kedah
state flag 5757 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military.
diagonal green-red-yellow
Kedah
merchant flag 5858 Flown by merchant ships.
white, blue border, blue caligraphic lion
Kelantan
white, peacock
Burma 5959 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag.

Oceania


blue British ensign, white 7-pointed star and southern cross
Australia
blue British ensign, red southern cross outlined in white
New Zealand
white-red-blue-white-red-blue-white-red, union jack
Hawaiʻi
red, white canton, red cross
Tonga
red, white maltese cross, French flag outlined in white
Wallis and Futuna

North America


13 red-white stripes, blue canton, 48 white stars
United States
red British ensign, coat of arms
Canada 6060 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. The badge was only supposed to have the arms of the original four provinces, but the nine-province version was much more common. It was also often placed on a white disc, or adorned with wreath of maple leaves and a crown.
red British ensign, colonial seal
Newfoundland 6161 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag.
white-red, thick blue stripe, white star
Texas
blue-white-red, yellow star
Acadia
blue, white cross, four white fleurs-de-lis, sacred heart
Québec
white, red stripe, bear, the words CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC, red star
California
blue, white infinity symbol
Métis

Latin America


green, yellow diamond, blue and white celestial sphere
Brazil
green-white-red, eagle and snake symbol
Mexico
red-white-red, coat of arms
Peru
national ensign 6262 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 6363 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
blue-white-blue containing an emblem
Guatemala
blue-white-blue, gold sun
Argentina
blue-white-blue, coat of arms
Nicaragua
blue-white-blue, coat of arms
El Salvador
national flag 6464 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
blue-white-blue, yellow
El Salvador
inscribed flag 6565 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
blue-white-blue
El Salvador
plain flag 6666 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
blue-white-blue, 5 blue stars
Honduras
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 6767 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 6868 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
5 red-white stripes, blue triangle, white star
Puerto Rico 6969 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule.
5 blue-white stripes, red triangle, white star
Cuba
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
white-red-white-blue quarters, blue star, red star
Panama
yellow-blue-red, ring of 7 white stars, coat of arms
Venezuela
national ensign 7070 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
yellow-blue-red, ring of 7 white stars
Venezuela
national flag 7171 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
yellow-blue-red
Colombia
yellow-blue-red, coat of arms
Ecuador
red-yellow-green, coat of arms
Bolivia
state flag 7272 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
red-yellow-green
Bolivia
national flag 7373 Allowed to be flown by anyone.

Other International and Cultural Flags


blue-yellow-red-white-orange-multicolour
Buddhist Flag
white, two thin blue stripes, blue star of David
Zionist Movement
white-black-green-red
Arab Nationalist Flag
green, white canton, green star
Esperanto
white, red cross
Red Cross
white, red crescent
Red Crescent

Events of 1912


ALBANIA • Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire on November 28. It flew the two-headed black eagle flag which had been flown by Albanian nationalists since the late 19th century, and which had its origins with the banner of the 15th century Albanian national hero, Skanderbeg. The specifics of the design were in flux until 1920.
Albanian flag as of 1912
CHINA • The Republic of China was proclaimed on January 1, and on January 10 it adopted the "Five Races Under One Union" flag. The five stripes on the flag represented, from top to bottom, Han Chinese, Manchus, Mongols, Hui, and Tibetans. Emperor Puyi abdicated on February 12, formally bringing the Qing Dynasty to an end.
Qing Dynasty flagright arrow1912 flag of China
EL SALVADOR • El Salvador adopted a Central American style flag on May 17. The new design had three variations: A state flag with a coat of arms, a secondary state flag with the motto "DIOS UNION LIBERTAD" on it, and a plain civil flag.
After this point, the name "El Salvador" (República de El Salvador) supplanted "Salvador" (República del Salvador) on all national symbols. The change was confirmed in 1915.
1877 flag of El Salvadorright arrow1912 State flag of El Salvador1912 secondary state flag of El Salvador1912 civil flag of El Salvador
FUTA JALLON • The Imamate of Futa Jallon was extinguished by the French authorities in 1912.
Flag of Futa Jallonright arrowX
JHALAWAR • The flag of the Indian princely state of Jhalawar was known to be in use as of 1912.
Flag of Jhalawar
MALAYA • A number of the former Siamese tributaries in northern Malaya adopted new flags in 1912. In Kelantan and Terengganu, where the only flags had been the plain white banners of the Sultans, proper state flags were adopted for the first time this year. Kelantan's showed an elaborate calligraphic tiger, while Terengganu's had simple white and black stripes representing the Sultan and the people.
Plain white flagright arrow1912 flag of Kelantan1912 flag of Terengganu
Kedah replaced the tiger on its state flag with a coat of arms on January 10. It also adopted a civil flag with diagonal stripes on August 11.
1821 flag of Kedahright arrow1912 state flag of Kedah1912 civil flag of Kedah
SAMOS • The Principality of Samos declared its union with Greece on November 24.
1832 flag of Samosright arrowX
SOUTH AFRICA • The badge was placed on a white disc on March 25.
1910 flag of South Africaright arrow1912 flag of South Africa
TRIPOLI • The Ottoman territory of Tripolitania was ceded to the Italians on October 18.
1727 flag of Tripoliright arrowX
UNITED STATES • Two more stars (for Arizona and New Mexico) were added to the flag on July 4. The 48-star flag would remain in use for the next 47 years, and it was the longest-lived version of the American flag until the current 50 star version surpassed it in 2007.
46-star American flagright arrow48-star American flag

Notes


1 Flown over the palace in Rabat and on ships. Military flags on land were often dectorated with a yellow or green octagram.
2 The number of points could vary. Some flags even had a completely straight-edged stripe.
3 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.
4 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens.
5 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
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.
13 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
14 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
15 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
16 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
17 Flown by the prince, and unofficially as a national flag. Blue and red flags were also in use.
18 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
19 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
20 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. There was also a blue colonial ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
21 Designated as the official colours of the Austrian crown land of Carniola. Regarded as the unofficial national flag of Slovenia.
22 Flown by advocates of Slovakian independence. The "Upper Hungary" region did not have an official flag.
23 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
24 Flown the government and armed forces.
25 Flown by the merchant fleet. The plain Serbian tricolour was also widely flown within in the country.
26 Flown by the king and the government.
27 Flown by Ukrainian nationalists. The order of colours wasn't fixed.
28 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.
29 The former royal banner of Poland, no longer official but still used as an informal national symbol.
30 The "Calcutta flag" flown by independence activists. British India had several colonial flags. A red civil ensign with the Star of India medal on it was used to represent India at international sporting events.
31 The maharaja's flag had yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
32 The raja's flag was rectangular
33 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
34 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
35 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
36 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.
37 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
38 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
39 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
40 Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
41 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
42 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
43 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
44 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.
45 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown.
46 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
47 The Raja's flag had a red sun
48 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
49 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
50 The begum's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
51 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for Muslim interests within British India. The direct predecessor of the flag of Pakistan.
52 Flown by the Korean independence movement. Banned under Japanese occupation.
53 Banned by the American colonial government. The Insular Government of the Philippine Islands had no official flag at this time.
54 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
55 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
56 A typical example of a Moro battle flag. No two were exactly alike, but they all looked roughly like this. Sometimes the daggers were crossed, or the crescent and star was replaced by a white and blue emblem.
57 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military.
58 Flown by merchant ships.
59 Flown by Burmese nationalists. The British colonial government did not have a distinct flag.
60 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag. The badge was only supposed to have the arms of the original four provinces, but the nine-province version was much more common. It was also often placed on a white disc, or adorned with wreath of maple leaves and a crown.
61 Officially only to be flown civilian ships, but in practice flown widely on land as the national flag.
62 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.
63 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
64 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
65 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
66 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
67 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too.
68 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
69 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule.
70 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
71 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
72 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
73 Allowed to be flown by anyone.