Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia
royal flag 11 Often (but not always) flown by the royal house and the government.
Ethiopia
national flag 22 Flown by anyone.
Ghana
Guinea
Cameroon
Malagasy Republic
Nyasaland
NAC flag 33 Flag of the Nyasaland African Congress, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the flag of Malawi. The colony was part of the nominally self-governing Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which had a rarely-used British ensign with the federation coat of arms.
Kenya
KAU flag 44 Flag of the Kenya African Union, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the modern flag of Kenya. The colony also had a rarely-used British ensign with a red lion badge.
African National Congress
Tanganyika
TANU flag 55 Flag of the Tanganyika African National Union, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the 1961 flag of Tanganyika, and by extension the flag of Tanzania. The colony also had a rarely-used British ensign with a giraffe badge.
South Africa
Liberia
Central African Republic
Togo
Senegal
Congo
Somalia
Eritrea
Buganda
Swaziland
Zanzibar
Sudanese Republic
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
Morocco
Algeria 66 Flown by nationalists and the government-in-exile. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag.
Libya
Palestine
Jordan
Iraq
United Arab Republic
Israel
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
Fujairah
Muscat and Oman
Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah
Abu Dhabi
Dubai · Ajman · Umm al-Quwain
Bahrain
Qatar
Sudan
Kathiri State
Qu'aiti State
Kurdistan
Assyrians
Druze
Western Europe
France
Italy
Ireland
Andorra
Belgium
East Germany · West Germany
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 1010 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
federal service flag 1111 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
Switzerland
Denmark
national flag 1212 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1313 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 1414 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 1515 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Iceland
national flag 1616 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 1717 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Åland
Sweden 1818 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 1919 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2020 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Faroe Islands
Greece
land flag 2121 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross.
Greece
sea flag 2222 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross.
United Kingdom
England · Guernsey
Northern Ireland 2323 Flown by the government, sporting teams and by some private citizens. More or less exclusively a unionist symbol.
Scotland
Jersey
Wales
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Monaco
national flag 2424 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2525 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Vatican City
Malta
traditional flag 2626 Flown 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 2727 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 2828 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Galicia
Corsica
Flanders
Wallonia
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Albania
Czechoslovakia
Poland
state flag 2929 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted.
Poland
coat of arms flag 3030 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned.
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 3131 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Lithuania 3232 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Latvia 3333 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Romania
South Asia and the Indian Ocean
India
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Nepal
Bhutan
Sikkim
Ceylon
Maldive Islands
Jammu and Kashmir 3535 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Azad Kashmir 3636 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Nagaland 3737 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Naga Hills area did not have an official flag within India.
East, Central and Southeast Asia
Japan
South Korea
North Korea
China
North Vietnam
South Vietnam
Tibet
Mongolia
Taiwan 3838 The flag of the Republic of China, the government of Taiwan. Banned on the mainland, as the People's Republic of China claimed sovereignty over the island. Regarded as the flag of China at the United Nations.
Burma
Laos
Laos
Pathet Lao flag 3939 Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi.
Thailand
Cambodia
Philippines
Malaya
Indonesia
Brunei
Sarawak 4040 Sarawak also had a blue colonial ensign.
Shan
Karen 4141 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma.
East Turkestan 4242 The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Region does not have an official flag.
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
Hawaiʻi
Western Samoa
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Guam
North America
United States
Canada 4343 Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed.
Québec
Alaska
Texas
Acadia
California
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Arapaho
Papago
The Caribbean
West Indies Federation
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Belize
Garifuna
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 4444 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 4545 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Honduras
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 4646 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 4747 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 4848 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 4949 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 5050 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico
Cuba
Uruguay
national flag 5151 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Uruguay
flag of Artigas 5252 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Uruguay
flag of the Treinta y Tres 5353 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Chile
Panama
Venezuela
national ensign 5454 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 5555 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Bolivia
state flag 5656 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 5757 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Other International and Cultural Flags
United Nations
Europe
Buddhist Flag
Romani
Pan-African Flag
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Red Lion and Sun
Olympic Games
Events of 1958
ABU DHABI • Abu Dhabi adopted a new flag sometime in in February.
ALGERIA • The Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic was established in exile in Cairo on September 19.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC • The French colony of Oubangi-Chari became the autonomous Central African Republic on December 1.
GUINEA • In a referendum on September 28, the French colony of Guinea rejected membership in the new French Community. As a result it declared independence on October 2. The changeover was so abrupt that the new country did not even have time to design a national flag. It finally adopted one on November 10, over a month later. Since that date, there has never been an independent state without a national flag.
MALAGASY REPUBLIC • Madagascar became the autonomous Malagasy Republic on October 14. Its flag was adopted a week later.
SENEGAL • The French colony of Senegal became an autonomous republic on November 25. Some time after that it adopted a flag with a yellow star on a green field.
SUDANESE REPUBLIC • The French Sudan colony (now Mali) became an autonomous republic on November 24. Some time after that, it adopted a flag with a black kanaga stick figure over the French tricolour.
TOGO • The French flag was removed from the corner some time this year, possibly on March 5.
UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC • Egypt and Syria joined together to form the United Arab Republic on February 22.
WEST INDIES FEDERATION • The British colonies in the West Indies were united into a single autonomous federation on January 3. The aim was for it to eventually become an independent country on the model of Canada or Australia, but the fledgling union fell apart before that could happen.
Notes
1 Often (but not always) flown by the royal house and the government. ↩
2 Flown by anyone. ↩
3 Flag of the Nyasaland African Congress, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the flag of Malawi. The colony was part of the nominally self-governing Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which had a rarely-used British ensign with the federation coat of arms. ↩
4 Flag of the Kenya African Union, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the modern flag of Kenya. The colony also had a rarely-used British ensign with a red lion badge. ↩
5 Flag of the Tanganyika African National Union, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the 1961 flag of Tanganyika, and by extension the flag of Tanzania. The colony also had a rarely-used British ensign with a giraffe badge. ↩
6 Flown by nationalists and the government-in-exile. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag. ↩
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 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
11 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
12 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
13 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
14 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
15 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
16 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
17 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
18 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
19 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
20 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
21 Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
22 Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩
23 Flown by the government, sporting teams and by some private citizens. More or less exclusively a unionist symbol. ↩
24 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
25 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
26 Flown 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. ↩
27 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
28 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
29 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted. ↩
30 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned. ↩
31 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
32 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
33 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
34 Banned within the People's Republic of China. The "Tibet Area" did not have an official flag. ↩
35 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
36 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
37 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Naga Hills area did not have an official flag within India. ↩
38 The flag of the Republic of China, the government of Taiwan. Banned on the mainland, as the People's Republic of China claimed sovereignty over the island. Regarded as the flag of China at the United Nations. ↩
39 Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi. ↩
40 Sarawak also had a blue colonial ensign. ↩
41 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩
42 The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Region does not have an official flag. ↩
43 Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed. ↩
44 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. ↩
45 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
46 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
47 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
48 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
49 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
50 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
51 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
52 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
53 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
54 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
55 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
56 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
57 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩