1963 - 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

Rwanda

Guinea

Mali

Senegal

Cameroon

Chad

Nigeria

Ivory Coast

Niger

Upper Volta

Sierra Leone

Gabon

diagonal green-yellow-red, thin middle stripe

Congo-Brazzaville

Dahomey

yellow-green, thick red stripe, black star

Guinea and Cape Verde

PAIGC flag ^{3³ Flag of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, which aimed for separation from Portugal. Eventually became the flag of Guinea-Bissau. Portuguese colonies did not have official flags.}

Malagasy Republic

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 outlines, shield and spears emblem

Kenya

African National Congress

green-black-yellow, white outlines, red triangle

Mozambique

FRELIMO flag ^{5⁵ Flag of the Liberation Front of Mozambique, which aimed for independence from Portugal. Direct predecessor of the modern flag of Mozambique. Portuguese colonies did not have official flags.}

Tanganyika

Angola

FNLA flag ^{6⁶ Flag of the National Liberation Front of Angola, which aimed for independence from Portugal, and its government-in-exile in Léopoldville. Portuguese colonies did not have official flags.}

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.}

four concentric green-yellow-red-black boxes

Zimbabwe

ZANU flag ^{8⁸ Flag of the Zimbabwe African National Union, which sought independence and majority rule for the British colony of Southern Rhodesia. 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.}

Zimbabwe

ZAPU flag ^{9⁹ Flag of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a competing liberation movement.}

6 red-yellow-black stripes, white circle, crane

Uganda

5 green-yellow stripes, red canton, white star

Togo

11 red-white stripes, blue canton, white star

Liberia

green-red triangles, white saltire, white circle, drum and sorghum plant

Burundi

Zanzibar

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

Swaziland

South-West Africa

SWAPO flag ^{10¹⁰ 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.}

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, diagonal red stripe outlined in yellow

Congo-Léopoldville

Somalia

Eritrea

ELF flag ^{11¹¹ Flag of the Eritrean Liberation Front, which sought independence from Ethiopia. Derived from the previous national flag. The provincial government did not have an official flag.}

Middle East and North Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

Turkey

Tunisia

Morocco

Algeria

Mauritania

red-black-green, white crescent and star

Libya

Palestine

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

Jordan

Kuwait

United Arab Republic (Egypt)

Iraq

Syria

Yemen

Yemen

Royalist flag ^{12¹² Flown in territory controlled by the Royalists during the North Yemen Civil War.}

white, two thin blue stripes, blue star of David

Israel

Cyprus

Lebanon

Iran

state flag ^{13¹³ 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 ^{14¹⁴ Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3.}

Saudi Arabia

Muscat and Oman

Fujairah

Ras al-Khaimah · Sharjah

Abu Dhabi

Dubai · Ajman

red, thick white stripe, white crescent and star

Umm al-Quwain

Bahrain

Qatar

Sudan

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

South Arabia

federal flag ^{15¹⁵ Flag of the Federation of South Arabia, the British protected state at the core of South Arabia.}

South Arabia

NLF flag ^{16¹⁶ Flag of the National Liberation Front, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the flag of South Yemen.}

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

Kathiri State

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

Qu'aiti State

green-white-red, black crescent and star

Mahra

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 ^{17¹⁷ Flown by private citizens and municipalities.}

Austria

federal service flag ^{18¹⁸ Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.}

Spain

West Germany

East Germany

Switzerland

Denmark

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

red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Denmark

sovereign flag ^{20²⁰ 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 ^{21²¹ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

red, white-blue nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Norway

state flag ^{22²² Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.}

Faroe Islands

Iceland

national flag ^{23²³ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

blue, white-red nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Iceland

state flag ^{24²⁴ Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.}

Åland

Sweden ^{25²⁵ Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.}

Finland

national flag ^{26²⁶ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Finland

state flag ^{27²⁷ Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.}

Greece

land flag ^{28²⁸ 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 ^{29²⁹ 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 ^{30³⁰ 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 ^{31³¹ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Monaco

princely flag ^{32³² Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.}

Vatican City

Malta

traditional flag ^{33³³ 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

Canary Islands

Galicia

Catalonia

senyera ^{34³⁴ The traditional Catalan flag.}

9 red-yellow stripes, blue triangle, white star

Catalonia

estelada ^{35³⁵ The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.}

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

Brittany

Cornwall

Corsica

Flanders

Wallonia

Isle of Man

Basque Country

Eastern Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

Soviet Union

red, black two-headed eagle, yellow hollow star

Albania

Czechoslovakia

Poland

state flag ^{36³⁶ Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted.}

Poland

coat of arms flag ^{37³⁷ Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned.}

blue-white-red, red star outlined in yellow

Yugoslavia

Hungary

Bulgaria

Estonia ^{38³⁸ Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.}

Lithuania ^{39³⁹ Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.}

Latvia ^{40⁴⁰ 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

Comoros

Jammu and Kashmir ^{42⁴² Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.}

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

Azad Kashmir ^{43⁴³ Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.}

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

Nagaland ^{44⁴⁴ Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag.}

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 ^{45⁴⁵ 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 ^{46⁴⁶ Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi.}

Thailand

Cambodia

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

Philippines

14 red-white stripes, blue canton, yellow crescent and 14-point star

Malaysia

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

Shan

red-white-yellow-blue, green canton, brown mountain

Sabah

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

Karen ^{47⁴⁷ Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma.}

East Turkestan ^{48⁴⁸ 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

Papua and New Guinea ^{49⁴⁹ Flown unofficially, mostly at sporting events}

North America
◀︎ ▶︎

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

United States

Canada ^{50⁵⁰ 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

Oglala Lakota

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
◀︎ ▶︎

Jamaica

red, diagonal black stripe outlined in white

Trinidad and Tobago

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 ^{51⁵¹ 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 ^{52⁵² Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Guatemala

Argentina

Honduras

Nicaragua

El Salvador

national flag ^{53⁵³ The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.}

El Salvador

inscribed flag ^{54⁵⁴ An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.}

El Salvador

plain flag ^{55⁵⁵ The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.}

Paraguay

front side

Paraguay

back side

Costa Rica

national flag ^{56⁵⁶ 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 ^{57⁵⁷ 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 ^{58⁵⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Uruguay

flag of Artigas ^{59⁵⁹ A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.}

Uruguay

flag of the Treinta y Tres ^{60⁶⁰ 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 ^{61⁶¹ Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.}

Venezuela

national flag ^{62⁶² Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Colombia

Ecuador

Bolivia

state flag ^{63⁶³ Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.}

Bolivia

national flag ^{64⁶⁴ 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 1963
◀︎ ▶︎

ALGERIA • The exact dimensions of the national flag were defined in law on 25 April 1963.

CONGO-LÉOPOLDVILLE • Congo-Léopoldville adopted a new flag on July 1.

COMOROS • The Comoros adopted a flag on July 13.

IRAQ AND SYRIA • Following Ba'athist coups in Syria and Iraq, the two countries signed an agreement with the United Arab Republic (Egpyt) on April 17 to form a new tripartite union. The proposed flag was the same as the existing UAR flag, but with the addition of a third star. The proposed union never materialized, but Syria adopted the three-star flag on May 1, and Iraq followed suit on June 8.

KENYA • In preparation its planned December 12 independence, the government of Kenya selected a national flag on July 26. It was based on the flag of the ruling KANU party, with thin white stripes added to appease the opposition KADU party.

MALAYSIA • Great Britain granted self-government to its colonies in Sarawak on July 22 and North Borneo (Sabah) on August 31. On 16 September, the two territories and Singapore merged with Malaya to form the new country of Malaysia. Three stripes were added to the Malayan flag to create the flag of the new union. The other three flags remained in use as state flags.

SOUTH ARABIA • The National Liberation Front launched its independence war against the British on October 13. It flew the Arab Liberation tricolour, which would become the basis for the flag of South Yemen.

YUGOSLAVIA • The Yugoslavian parliament contemplated adopting a red flag with the national emblem on it. It ultimately stuck with the tricolour instead.

1963 proposed flag of Yugoslavia: red with the Yugoslavian emblem in the centre

ZANZIBAR • The United Kingdom terminated its protectorate on December 10. The sultanate added a pair of cloves to its flag to mark its independence.

ZIMBABWE • The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was founded on August 8.

Notes

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

² Flown by anyone. ↩

³ Flag of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, which aimed for separation from Portugal. Eventually became the flag of Guinea-Bissau. Portuguese colonies did not have official flags. ↩

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 Liberation Front of Mozambique, which aimed for independence from Portugal. Direct predecessor of the modern flag of Mozambique. Portuguese colonies did not have official flags. ↩

⁶ Flag of the National Liberation Front of Angola, which aimed for independence from Portugal, and its government-in-exile in Léopoldville. Portuguese colonies did not have official flags. ↩

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 Flag of the Zimbabwe African National Union, which sought independence and majority rule for the British colony of Southern Rhodesia. 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. ↩

⁹ Flag of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a competing liberation movement. ↩

¹⁰ 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. ↩

¹¹ Flag of the Eritrean Liberation Front, which sought independence from Ethiopia. Derived from the previous national flag. The provincial government did not have an official flag. ↩

¹² Flown in territory controlled by the Royalists during the North Yemen Civil War. ↩

¹³ Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. At sea, and in certain ceremonial settings on land, the ratio was 1:3. ↩

¹⁴ Allowed to be flown by anyone. At sea, the ratio was 1:3. ↩

¹⁵ Flag of the Federation of South Arabia, the British protected state at the core of South Arabia. ↩

¹⁶ Flag of the National Liberation Front, which sought independence from Great Britain. Direct predecessor of the flag of South Yemen. ↩

¹⁷ Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩

¹⁸ Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩

¹⁹ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

²⁰ Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩

²¹ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

²² Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩

²³ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

²⁴ Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩

²⁵ Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩

²⁶ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

²⁷ Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩

²⁸ Flown on land within Greece. The military flag had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩

²⁹ Flown at sea and abroad. The naval ensign had a crown in the centre of the cross. ↩

³⁰ Flown by the government, sporting teams and by some private citizens. More or less exclusively a unionist symbol. ↩

³¹ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

³² Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩

³³ 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. ↩

³⁴ The traditional Catalan flag. ↩

³⁵ The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩

³⁶ Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted. ↩

³⁷ Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned. ↩

³⁸ Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩

³⁹ Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩

⁴⁰ Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩

⁴¹ Banned within the People's Republic of China. The "Tibet Area" did not have an official flag. ↩

⁴² Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩

⁴³ Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩

⁴⁴ Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag. ↩

⁴⁵ 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. ↩

⁴⁶ Flown by the communist Pathet Lao government-in-exile in Hanoi. ↩

⁴⁷ Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩

⁴⁸ The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Region does not have an official flag. ↩

⁴⁹ Flown unofficially, mostly at sporting events ↩

⁵⁰ Not legally the national flag, but allowed to be flown wherever a "distinctive Canadian flag" was needed. ↩

⁵¹ 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. ↩

⁵² Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁵³ The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩

⁵⁴ An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩

⁵⁵ The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩

⁵⁶ The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩

⁵⁷ Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩

⁵⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁵⁹ A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩

⁶⁰ A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩

⁶¹ Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩

⁶² Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁶³ Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩

⁶⁴ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1963 ▶︎

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 1963
◀︎ ▶︎

Notes

Events of 1963◀︎ ▶︎

Notes

Events of 1963
◀︎ ▶︎