Sub-Saharan Africa
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
Morocco 33 Moroccan merchant ships in the French zone flew what was called the "Arab ensign", the national flag with a French tricolour added to the top-left corner.
Morocco
Spanish merchant flag 44 Flown by merchant ships operating out of the Spanish zone in northern Morocco. The Moroccan national flag was flown on land.
Algeria 55 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag.
Egypt
Palestine 66 Flown unofficially by the Arab community. Merchant ships flew a red British ensign with a badge that said "PALESTINE". The Jewish community flew the modern flag of Israel.
Transjordan
Iraq
Syria
Lebanon
Iran
state flag 77 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3.
Iran
national flag 88 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3.
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait 99 There were many variations of this flag, depending on who was flying it and when. Some versions would have added inscriptions, decorations or royal symbols. The flag could also be triangular.
Yemen
Muscat and Oman
Bahrain 1010 The number of points could vary.
Qatar 1111 The design of the flag wasn't laid down in law, and this may have been one of many variations in use at the time.
Abu Dhabi · Dubai · Ajman · Umm al-Quwain
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah · Kalba
Eretz-Israel 1212 Flown by the Jewish community in the British mandate of Palestine. Direct ancestor of the flag of Israel.
Qu'aiti State
Kurdistan
Assyrians
Druze
Western Europe
France
Italy
national flag 1313 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 1414 Flown by the government and navy.
Ireland
Andorra
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 1515 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
federal service flag 1616 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
Switzerland
Denmark
national flag 1717 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1818 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 1919 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 2020 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Iceland
national flag 2121 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 2222 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Sweden 2323 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 2424 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2525 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Faroe Islands
Greece
land flag 2626 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 2727 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
United Kingdom
England · Guernsey
Scotland
Jersey
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Monaco
national flag 2828 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2929 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Vatican City
Malta
traditional flag 3030 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. Plain flags without the George Cross were also common. The colonial government had a blue ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it.
Portugal
Basque Country
Isle of Man
Catalonia
senyera 3131 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 3232 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Åland
Germany
provisional civil ensign 3333 Flown by German ships, but explicitly not as a national flag, and not given any of the ceremonial respect typically given to national flags. Not used on land. Known as the "C-Pennant" since it was derived for the maritime signal flag for the letter C.
Galicia
Corsica
Wales
Flanders
Wallonia
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Czechoslovakia
Poland
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 3434 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Lithuania 3535 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Latvia 3636 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Romania
Albania
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
India 3737 The Svaraj ("self-rule") flag flown by nationalists and 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 and at the United Nations.
Afghanistan
Hyderabad
Jammu and Kashmir 3838 The maharaja's flag was red with yellow stripes at the top and bottom.
Nepal
Jhabua 3939 The raja's flag was rectangular
Dewas
Kota
princely flag 4040 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer.
Benares
Sailana 4141 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag.
Ajaigarh 4242 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower.
Mewar 4343 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.
Kolhapur 4444 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag.
Dhar
Jaipur
Alwar
Idar
Sirohi
Jodhpur
Gwalior
Jaisalmer
Nabha
Bikaner
Mysore
Wankaner
Manipur
Tripura
Charkhari
Banswara
Panna
Bharatpur
Dholpur
Chhatarpur
Kapurthala
Cambay
Kochin
Dhrangadhra
Rajpipla
princely flag 4545 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag.
Rajpipla
national flag 4646 Allowed to be flown by civilians.
Indore 4747 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours.
Bhavnagar 4848 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it.
Tonk 4949 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand.
Garhwal 5050 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes.
Suket 5151 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
Janjira 5252 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star.
Baroda
princely flag 5353 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown. There was a red colonial British ensign with a scimitar and horseman badge.
Kutch 5454 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge.
Travancore 5555 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge.
Rajgarh
Pratapgarh 5656 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white.
Cooch Behar
Barwani
Porbandar 5757 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge.
Ratlam
Sitamau 5858 The Raja's flag had a red sun
Faridkot
Rewa
princely flag 5959 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag.
Jhalawar
Karauli
Orchha
Alirajpur
Khairpur
Patiala
princely flag 6060 Flag of the maharaja, also sometimes used as a state flag.
Dungarpur
Bundi
Bahawalpur
Baoni
Mandi 6161 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it.
Kishangarh
Bhopal 6262 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it.
Jaora
Rampur
Pudukkottai
Bilaspur
Sikkim
Sinhalese Flag 6363 Flown by Sinhalese nationalists in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. There was also an infrequently-used blue British colonial ensign with an elephant badge.
Maldive Islands
Muslim League 6464 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for the partition of India along religious lines and the creation of an independent Pakistan. The direct predecessor of the modern flag of Pakistan.
East, Central and Southeast Asia
Japan 6565 Heavily restricted under U.S. Occupation.
Korea
China
Burma
AFPFL flag 6666 Flag of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, which had grown out of the anti-Japanese resistance during World War II, and whose leaders were negotiating for independence from the United Kingdom. The British colonial government also had a rarely used blue ensign with a peacock badge.
Vietnam
Tibet
Mongolia
Cambodia
Siam
Laos
Philippines
Indonesia
Federated Malay States
Brunei
Terengganu
Sarawak
Perlis
Johor
state flag 6767 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships.
Johor
merchant flag 6868 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag.
Kelantan
Kedah
state flag 6969 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military.
Kedah
merchant flag 7070 Flown by merchant ships.
Karen 7171 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma.
East Turkestan 7272 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag.
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
Hawaiʻi
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Guam
North America and the Caribbean
United States
Canada 7373 Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed.
Alaska
Texas
Acadia
Québec
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
California
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Papago
Garifuna
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 7474 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 7575 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 7676 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 7777 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 7878 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Honduras
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 7979 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 8080 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico 8181 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule.
Cuba
Uruguay
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Chile
Panama
Colombia
Ecuador
Venezuela
national ensign 8282 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 8383 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Bolivia
state flag 8484 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 8585 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Other International and Cultural Flags
United Nations
Buddhist Flag
Romani
Pan-African Flag
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Red Lion and Sun
Olympic Games
Events of 1945
GERMANY • Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8. The swastika flag was abolished, leaving the country without a legal national flag. On September 20 a provisional civil ensign called the "C-Pennant" was issued, which used on German ships as a de facto merchant flag. It would remain the only legal German flag until the reintroduction of the black-red-gold tricolour in 1949.
A provisional Austrian government declared the country's annexation by Germany null and void on April 27. It readopted the Austrian tricolour on May 1.
INDIA • The princely states of Bahawalpur and Janjira adopted new flags.
JAPAN • As the war neared its end, Japan tried to establish three puppet states in French Indochina. The protectorates of Annam and Tonkin were merged into a new Empire of Vietnam, which adopted a flag on June 12. Ho Chi Minh seized control of the country in August and declared the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2. The red Viet Minh flag was confirmed as the national flag on September 8.
In Laos, the Kingdom of Luang Prabang declared independence on April 8. On September 15, it declared its unification with the rest of the former protectorate as the Kingdom of Laos. The Lao Issara movement assumed control of the country on October 12 and adopted a new flag.
Cambodia declared independence as the Kingdom of Kampuchea on March 13 under its protectorate flag. It reverted to the name Cambodia when French rule was restored in October.
Meanwhile in Burma, the Japanese puppet state fell on March 27, when the Burma National Army defected to the Allied side.
Japan unconditionally surrendered to the allies on August 15. Korea was legally restored as a sovereign country, although in practice the country was occupied by the Americans and Soviets, paving the way for its post-war partition.
Indonesia declared independence two days later, taking advantage of the power vacuum caused by the Japanese surrender.
The day after that, Emperor Puyi announced the dissolution of the Japanese puppet state in Manchukuo. Manchuria was by this point mostly occupied by the Soviet Union.
MONGOLIA • Mongolia adopted a new flag on October 7.
SIAM • Thailand changed its name back to Siam on September 8.
SPAIN • The coat of arms on the flag was enlarged on October 11.
UNITED NATIONS • The United Nations Charter entered into force on October 24.
Notes
1 Often (but not always) flown by the royal house and the government. ↩
2 Flown by anyone. ↩
3 Moroccan merchant ships in the French zone flew what was called the "Arab ensign", the national flag with a French tricolour added to the top-left corner. ↩
4 Flown by merchant ships operating out of the Spanish zone in northern Morocco. The Moroccan national flag was flown on land. ↩
5 Flown by nationalists and indepenence activists. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag. ↩
6 Flown unofficially by the Arab community. Merchant ships flew a red British ensign with a badge that said "PALESTINE". The Jewish community flew the modern flag of Israel. ↩
7 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
8 Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
9 There were many variations of this flag, depending on who was flying it and when. Some versions would have added inscriptions, decorations or royal symbols. The flag could also be triangular. ↩
10 The number of points could vary. ↩
11 The design of the flag wasn't laid down in law, and this may have been one of many variations in use at the time. ↩
12 Flown by the Jewish community in the British mandate of Palestine. Direct ancestor of the flag of Israel. ↩
13 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. ↩
14 Flown by the government and navy. ↩
15 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
16 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
17 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
18 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
19 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
20 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
21 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
22 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
23 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
24 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
25 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
26 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
27 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
28 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
29 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
30 Flown unofficially, mostly by civilian ships. Plain flags without the George Cross were also common. The colonial government had a blue ensign with the Maltese coat of arms on it. ↩
31 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
32 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
33 Flown by German ships, but explicitly not as a national flag, and not given any of the ceremonial respect typically given to national flags. Not used on land. Known as the "C-Pennant" since it was derived for the maritime signal flag for the letter C. ↩
34 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
35 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
36 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
37 The Svaraj ("self-rule") flag flown by nationalists and 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 and at the United Nations. ↩
38 The maharaja's flag was red with yellow stripes at the top and bottom. ↩
39 The raja's flag was rectangular ↩
40 Flown by the Maharao and also used as a state flag. The flag was sometimes much longer. ↩
41 The previous plain red flag was sometimes flown as an alternate state flag. ↩
42 The reverse side of the flag showed a moon and a flower. ↩
43 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. ↩
44 Kolhapur flew the Maratha saffron banner as a state flag. The maharaja had a diagonally-divided red and orange flag. ↩
45 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. ↩
46 Allowed to be flown by civilians. ↩
47 The state flag was sometimes used without the emblem. Inland river boats flew a triangular pennant in the same colours. ↩
48 There was also a red British colonial ensign with the coat of arms on it. ↩
49 The nawab's flag, which was sometimes used as an alternate state flag, was white with a green hand. ↩
50 The maharaja's flag had a gold eagle on it. The armed forces used a flag with white and purple stripes. ↩
51 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. ↩
52 There was also a red colonial British ensign with a black tower and a white crescent and star. ↩
53 Flown by the maharaja and often used as a state flag. The swallowtailed saffron Maratha banner was also sometimes flown. There was a red colonial British ensign with a scimitar and horseman badge. ↩
54 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white sun and moon badge. ↩
55 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white shell badge. ↩
56 The maharawat's flag had the same design but in yellow instead of white. ↩
57 There was also a red British colonial ensign with a white Hanuman badge. ↩
58 The Raja's flag had a red sun ↩
59 Flag of the maharaja's dynasty, used as a state flag. ↩
60 Flag of the maharaja, also sometimes used as a state flag. ↩
61 The flag flown at the palace had the state coat of arms on it. ↩
62 The nawab's standard had a crown and inscription on it. ↩
63 Flown by Sinhalese nationalists in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. There was also an infrequently-used blue British colonial ensign with an elephant badge. ↩
64 Flag of the All-India Muslim League, which advocated for the partition of India along religious lines and the creation of an independent Pakistan. The direct predecessor of the modern flag of Pakistan. ↩
65 Heavily restricted under U.S. Occupation. ↩
66 Flag of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, which had grown out of the anti-Japanese resistance during World War II, and whose leaders were negotiating for independence from the United Kingdom. The British colonial government also had a rarely used blue ensign with a peacock badge. ↩
67 Flown by the sultan and on naval ships. ↩
68 Flown by merchant ships and sometimes used by civilians as an alternate national flag. ↩
69 Flown over the sultan's palace and the military. ↩
70 Flown by merchant ships. ↩
71 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩
72 The Uyghur nationalist flag. Xinjiang Province did not have an official flag. ↩
73 Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed. ↩
74 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. ↩
75 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
76 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
77 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
78 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
79 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
80 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
81 Flown by Puerto Rican nationalists. Display of the flag was initially banned under American rule. ↩
82 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
83 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
84 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
85 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩