1960 - World Flag Chart

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

Mali

Senegal

Cameroon

Chad

Nigeria

Ivory Coast

Niger

Upper Volta

Gabon

diagonal green-yellow-red, thin middle stripe

Congo-Brazzaville

Dahomey

Malagasy Republic

South-West Africa

SWAPO flag ^{3³ Flag of the South West Africa People's Organisation, which sought independence from South Africa. Direct predecessor of the flag of Namibia. The territorial government did not have an official flag.}

Malawi

MCP flag ^{4⁴ Flag of the Malawi Congress Party, which sought independence for British Nyasland. Direct predecessor of the modern 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.}

black-red-green, white shield and spears emblem

Kenya

KANU flag ^{5⁵ Flag of the Kenya African National 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 ^{6⁶ 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.}

green, three vertical red-black-yellow stripes

Zambia

UNIP flag ^{7⁷ Flag of the United National Independence Party, which sought independence for the British colony of Northern Rhodesia. Direct predecessor of the modern flag of Zambia. 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.}

5 green-yellow stripes, red canton, white star

Togo

11 red-white stripes, blue canton, white star

Liberia

blue-white-green-yellow, thin red stripe, yellow star

Central African Republic

orange-white-blue, a cross made up of the Union Jack, Orange Free State, and Transvaal flags

South Africa

blue, yellow star, line of 6 yellow stars

Congo-Léopoldville

Somalia

Eritrea

Buganda

blue-red-blue, yellow outlines, shield and spear

Swaziland

Zanzibar

Middle East and North Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

Turkey

Tunisia

Morocco

Algeria ^{8⁸ Flown by nationalists and the government-in-exile. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag.}

Mauritania

red-black-green, white crescent and star

Libya

Palestine

black-white-green, red triangle, white 7-pointed star

Jordan

black-white-green, yellow sun with red rays

Iraq

United Arab Republic

white, two thin blue stripes, blue star of David

Israel

Cyprus

Lebanon

Iran

state flag ^{9⁹ 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 ^{10¹⁰ Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3.}

Saudi Arabia

Kuwait ^{11¹¹ 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

black-green-blue, yellow outline, white crescent and star

South Arabia

federal flag ^{12¹² Flag of the Federation of South Arabia, the British protected state at the core of South Arabia.}

yellow-green-yellow, red triangle, three white stars

Kathiri State

red-yellow-blue, three blue-green-blue circles, three gray towers

Qu'aiti State

Kurdistan

purple-white-red, triangle of three white stars in the top-left

Assyrians

Druze

Western Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

France

Italy

Ireland

Andorra

Belgium

Netherlands

Luxembourg

Austria

national flag ^{13¹³ Flown by private citizens and municipalities.}

Austria

federal service flag ^{14¹⁴ Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.}

Spain

West Germany

East Germany

Switzerland

Denmark

national flag ^{15¹⁵ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Denmark

sovereign flag ^{16¹⁶ 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 ^{17¹⁷ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

red, white-blue nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Norway

state flag ^{18¹⁸ Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.}

Faroe Islands

Iceland

national flag ^{19¹⁹ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

blue, white-red nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Iceland

state flag ^{20²⁰ Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.}

Åland

Sweden ^{21²¹ Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.}

Finland

national flag ^{22²² Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Finland

state flag ^{23²³ Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.}

Greece

land flag ^{24²⁴ 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 ^{25²⁵ 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

England · Guernsey

white, red cross, white 6-pointed star, red hand, crown

Northern Ireland ^{26²⁶ 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 ^{27²⁷ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Monaco

princely flag ^{28²⁸ Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.}

Vatican City

Malta

traditional flag ^{29²⁹ 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.}

red, thick green stripe, yellow armillary sphere, coat of arms

Portugal

Basque Country

Isle of Man

Catalonia

senyera ^{30³⁰ The traditional Catalan flag.}

9 red-yellow stripes, blue triangle, white star

Catalonia

estelada ^{31³¹ The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.}

9 black-white stripes, white canton, 11 ermine spots

Brittany

Cornwall

Galicia

Corsica

Flanders

Wallonia

Eastern Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

Soviet Union

red, black two-headed eagle, yellow hollow star

Albania

Czechoslovakia

Poland

state flag ^{32³² Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted.}

Poland

coat of arms flag ^{33³³ Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned.}

blue-white-red, red star outlined in yellow

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

South Asia and the Indian Ocean
◀︎ ▶︎

India

green, thick white stripe, white crescent and star

Pakistan

Afghanistan

red double-tailed pennant outlined in blue, white moon, white sun

Nepal

Bhutan

white, yellow wheel surrounded by colourful decorations, ornate border

Sikkim

maroon, yellow outline, yellow lion, four yellow leaves

Ceylon

red, black-white barberpole-striped edge, green rectangle, white crescent

Maldive Islands

Jammu and Kashmir ^{38³⁸ Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.}

green, four white stripes, orange canton, white crescent and star

Azad Kashmir ^{39³⁹ Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.}

blue, white 6-pointed star, red-yellow-green striped-arc

Nagaland ^{40⁴⁰ Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Naga Hills area did not have an official flag within India.}

East, Central and Southeast Asia
◀︎ ▶︎

Japan

white, red-blue taeguk surrounded by four black trigrams

South Korea

blue-red-blue, white outlines, white disc, red star

North Korea

China

North Vietnam

South Vietnam

white triangle, 12-red-blue wedges, yellow sun, two snow lions, yellow border

Tibet

red-blue-red, yellow soyombo, yellow star

Mongolia

Taiwan ^{41⁴¹ 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

red, three white elephants under an umbrella

Laos

Laos

Pathet Lao flag ^{42⁴² Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi.}

Thailand

Cambodia

blue-red, white triangle, yellow sun, three yellow stars

Philippines

11 red-white stripes, blue canton, yellow crescent and 11-point star

Malaya

Indonesia

red-white, white crescent, 5 white stars

Singapore

yellow, diagonal white-black stripes, red emblem

Brunei

yellow, vertically divided black-red cross, yellow crown

Sarawak ^{43⁴³ Sarawak also had a blue colonial ensign.}

Shan

red-white-blue, thick blue stripe, red sunburst and yellow drum

Karen ^{44⁴⁴ Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma.}

East Turkestan ^{45⁴⁵ The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Region does not have an official 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

Western Samoa

Tonga

red, white maltese cross, French flag outlined in white

Wallis and Futuna

Guam

blue, white triangle outlined in red, American eagle holding a gold fly-whisk and club

American Samoa

North America
◀︎ ▶︎

13 red-white stripes, blue canton, fifty white stars

United States

Canada ^{46⁴⁶ Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed.}

blue, white cross, four white fleurs-de-lis

Québec

Alaska

white-red, thick blue stripe, white star

Texas

Acadia

California

white, red offset cross, red star, red crescent

Mi’kmaq

Métis

red-white-black-white-black-white-red, white triangle outlined in black, red-black circle

Arapaho

yellow-purple, staff with 11 feathers dangling from it

Papago

The Caribbean
◀︎ ▶︎

blue, four thin white wavy stripes, orange circle

West Indies Federation

white, black elliptical ring of 5 black-brown-yellow-red-white stars outlined in black

Suriname

white, thin red stripe, thin blue band, ring of 6 stars

Netherlands Antilles

white, American eagle flanked on either side by the blue letters

Virgin Islands (U.S.)

Belize

Garifuna

Latin America
◀︎ ▶︎

green, yellow diamond, blue and white celestial sphere

Brazil

Mexico

Peru

national ensign ^{47⁴⁷ 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 ^{48⁴⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Guatemala

Argentina

Honduras

Nicaragua

El Salvador

national flag ^{49⁴⁹ The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.}

El Salvador

inscribed flag ^{50⁵⁰ An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.}

El Salvador

plain flag ^{51⁵¹ The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.}

Paraguay

front side

Paraguay

back side

Costa Rica

national flag ^{52⁵² 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 ^{53⁵³ 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

5 blue-white stripes, red triangle, white star

Cuba

9 white-blue stripes, white canton, yellow sun

Uruguay

national flag ^{54⁵⁴ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Uruguay

flag of Artigas ^{55⁵⁵ A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.}

Uruguay

flag of the Treinta y Tres ^{56⁵⁶ A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.}

blue-red, white square containing a coat of arms

Haiti

blue-red quarters, white cross, coat of arms

Dominican Republic

Chile

white-red-white-blue quarters, blue star, red star

Panama

yellow-blue-red, arc of 7 white stars, coat of arms

Venezuela

national ensign ^{57⁵⁷ Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.}

Venezuela

national flag ^{58⁵⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Colombia

Ecuador

Bolivia

state flag ^{59⁵⁹ Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.}

Bolivia

national flag ^{60⁶⁰ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Other International and Cultural Flags
◀︎ ▶︎

blue, white map of the world, white wreath

United Nations

Europe

blue-yellow-red-white-orange-multicolour

Buddhist Flag

Romani

Pan-African Flag

Esperanto

Red Cross

Red Crescent

Red Lion and Sun

Olympic Games

Events of 1960
◀︎ ▶︎

AMERICAN SAMOA • A territorial flag showing an American eagle holding a Samoan war club and fly-whisk was adopted on April 27.

BRAZIL • A 22nd star (for Guanabara) was added to the national flag on June 1.

CAMEROON • Cameroon became independent from a French-administered trusteeship on January 1.

CONGO-LÉOPOLDVILLE • On July 1, Belgian Congo became independent as the Republic of the Congo and added six stars to the left side of its flag. It was called "Congo-Léopoldville" to differentiate it from neighbouring Republic of the Congo with its capital in Brazzaville.

CYPRUS • Cyprus adopted a provisional flag with a map of the island outlined in copper orange on April 6. The island was fully filled in when the country became independent on August 16.

FRENCH COMMUNITY • France granted independence to nearly all of its former African colonies, creating eleven new countries in the space of a few months: the Central African Republic (August 13), Chad (August 11), Congo-Brazzaville (August 15), Dahomey (August 1), Gabon (August 17), Ivory Coast (August 7), the Malagasy Republic (June 26), the Mali Federation (June 20), Mauritania (November 28), Niger (August 3), and Upper Volta (August 5).

1958 flag of the Central African Republic

On August 9, a week before its independence, Gabon adopted a new flag.

On August 20, Senegal declared independence from the nascent Mali Federation. The remaining Sudanese Republic continued identifying itself as the Mali Federation until September 22, when it officially renamed itself the Republic of Mali. It retained the old federation's flag.

NIGERIA • Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom on October 1.

SOMALIA • On June 26, British Somaliland attained independence under the Somalian flag. Italian-administered trust territory of Somalia united with Somaliland on July 1 to form the independent state of Somalia

SOUTH-WEST AFRICA • On April 19, the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) was founded to win the Independence of South-West Africa from South Africa. Its party flag became the basis for the flag of Namibia 30 years later.

TOGO • Togo became independent from a French-administered trusteeship on April 27 and adopted a new American-inspired flag.

UNITED STATES • A 50th star (for Hawaiʻi) was added to the national flag on July 4.

Notes

¹ Often (but not always) flown by the royal house and the government. ↩

² Flown by anyone. ↩

³ Flag of the South West Africa People's Organisation, which sought independence from South Africa. Direct predecessor of the flag of Namibia. The territorial government did not have an official flag. ↩

⁴ Flag of the Malawi Congress Party, which sought independence for British Nyasland. Direct predecessor of the modern 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. ↩

⁵ Flag of the Kenya African National 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. ↩

⁶ 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. ↩

⁷ Flag of the United National Independence Party, which sought independence for the British colony of Northern Rhodesia. Direct predecessor of the modern flag of Zambia. 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. ↩

⁸ Flown by nationalists and the government-in-exile. The French colony in Algeria did not have an official flag. ↩

⁹ Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3. ↩

¹⁰ Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3. ↩

¹¹ 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. ↩

¹² Flag of the Federation of South Arabia, the British protected state at the core of South Arabia. ↩

¹³ Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩

¹⁴ Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩

¹⁵ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

¹⁶ Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩

¹⁷ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

¹⁸ Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩

¹⁹ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

²⁰ Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩

²¹ Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩

²² Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

²³ Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩

²⁴ Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩

²⁵ Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩

²⁶ Flown by the government, sporting teams and by some private citizens. More or less exclusively a unionist symbol. ↩

²⁷ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

²⁸ Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩

²⁹ 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. ↩

³⁰ The traditional Catalan flag. ↩

³¹ The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩

³² Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted. ↩

³³ Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned. ↩

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 Banned within the People's Republic of China. The "Tibet Area" did not have an official flag. ↩

³⁸ Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩

³⁹ Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩

⁴⁰ Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Naga Hills area did not have an official flag within India. ↩

⁴¹ 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. ↩

⁴² Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi. ↩

⁴³ Sarawak also had a blue colonial ensign. ↩

⁴⁴ Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩

⁴⁵ The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Region does not have an official flag. ↩

⁴⁶ Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed. ↩

⁴⁷ 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. ↩

⁴⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁴⁹ The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩

⁵⁰ An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩

⁵¹ The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩

⁵² The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩

⁵³ Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩

⁵⁴ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁵⁵ A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩

⁵⁶ A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩

⁵⁷ Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩

⁵⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁵⁹ Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩

⁶⁰ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1960 ▶︎

Sub-Saharan Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

Middle East and North Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

Western Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

Eastern Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

South Asia and the Indian Ocean
◀︎ ▶︎

East, Central and Southeast Asia
◀︎ ▶︎

Oceania
◀︎ ▶︎

North America
◀︎ ▶︎

The Caribbean
◀︎ ▶︎

Latin America
◀︎ ▶︎

Other International and Cultural Flags
◀︎ ▶︎

Events of 1960
◀︎ ▶︎

Notes

Events of 1960◀︎ ▶︎

Notes

Events of 1960
◀︎ ▶︎