Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia
national flag 11 Flown by anyone.
Ethiopia
state flag 22 Occasionally flown by the government.
Ghana
Rwanda
Guinea
Mali
Senegal
Cameroon
Chad
Nigeria
Ivory Coast
Niger
Upper Volta
Sierra Leone
Gabon
Guinea-Bissau
Cape Verde
Madagascar
Angola
Congo
Malawi
Kenya
African National Congress
Tanzania
Mozambique
Benin
Zambia
Zaire
São Tomé and Príncipe
Zimbabwe
ZANU flag 33 Flag of the Zimbabwe African National Union, which sought majority rule in the breakaway British colony of Rhodesia. The territory's illegal white supremacist government flew a green and white flag with the Rhodesian coat of arms.
Zimbabwe
ZAPU flag 44 Flag of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a competing liberation movement.
Uganda
Togo
Liberia
Burundi
Equatorial Guinea
The Gambia
Botswana
Swaziland
Namibia
SWAPO flag 55 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.
Lesotho
Central African Republic
South Africa
Somalia
Eritrea
ELF flag 66 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.
Somali Coast
FLCS flag 77 Flag of the Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast, which sought indepdence from France. Eventually became the flag of Djibouti. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas did not have an official flag.
Oromia
OLF flag 88 Flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a nationalist liberation movement within Ethiopia. Oromia did not have an official flag within Ethiopia at this time.
Tigray
TPLF flag 99 Flag of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a nationalist liberation movement within Ethiopia. Direct predecessor of the modern regional flag. Tigray did not have an official flag within Ethiopia at this time.
Middle East and North Africa
Turkey
Tunisia
Morocco
Algeria
Mauritania
Palestine
Jordan
Western Sahara
Polisario flag 1010 Flown by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro, which sought indepdence for the former Spanish Sahara, occupied by Mauritania and Morocco
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Sudan
Egypt · Libya · Syria 1111 Flown by the Federation of Arab Republics. Its member states sometimes distinguished their flags by adding their country's name in small gold writing below the emblem.
Iraq
North Yemen
South Yemen
Israel
Cyprus
Lebanon
Iran
state flag 1212 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. In certain ceremonial settings, the ratio was 1:3.
Iran
national flag 1313 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Oman
Bahrain
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Kurdistan
Druze
Assyrians
Western Europe
France
Italy
Ireland
Andorra
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
national flag 1414 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
federal service flag 1515 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
West Germany
East Germany
Switzerland
Denmark
national flag 1616 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1717 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 1818 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 1919 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Faroe Islands
Iceland
national flag 2020 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 2121 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Åland
Sweden 2222 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 2323 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2424 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.
Greece
United Kingdom
England · Guernsey
Northern Ireland
Ulster banner 2525 Northen Ireland has not had an official flag since 1973, but the Ulster Banner is still flown by some sporting teams and private citizens. More or less exclusively a unionist symbol. Nationalists tend to fly the Irish tricolour instead.
Scotland
Jersey
Wales
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Monaco
national flag 2626 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2727 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Gibraltar
Vatican City
Malta
Portugal
Canary Islands
Galicia
Catalonia
senyera 2828 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 2929 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Corsica
Flanders
Wallonia
Isle of Man
Basque Country
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Albania
Czechoslovakia
Poland
state flag 3030 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted.
Poland
coat of arms flag 3131 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned.
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 3232 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Lithuania 3333 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Latvia 3434 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
Bangladesh
Afghanistan
Nepal
Bhutan
Sri Lanka
Maldives
Comoros
Mauritius
Jammu and Kashmir 3636 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Azad Kashmir 3737 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Nagaland 3838 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag.
Kannada 3939 The popular but unofficial flag of the Kannada people. The Indian state of Karnataka does not have an official flag.
East, Central and Southeast Asia
Japan
South Korea
North Korea
China
North Vietnam
South Vietnam
Tibet
Mongolia
Taiwan 4040 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.
Burma
Thailand
Laos
Kampuchea
diplomatic flag 4141 Flown externally, especially at the United Nations.
Kampuchea
provisional flag 4242 Flown within the country.
Malaysia
Indonesia
Singapore
Sarawak
Philippines
East Timor 4343 Flown by nationalists seeking the indpenedence of Timor-Leste. Under Indonesian occupation, flying the flag was illegal. The rarely-used official flag of "Timor Timur" was orange with the provincial seal in the middle.
Brunei
Shan
Sabah
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.
Ainu
Oceania
Papua New Guinea
Aboriginal Australians
Australia
New Zealand
Hawaiʻi
Fiji
Niue
Nauru
Cook Islands
Micronesia
Western Samoa
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Tahiti
Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
American Samoa
Bougainville 4646 Flown by the breakaway Republic of North Solomons, which tried to win independence from the newly-formed Papua New Guinea.
North America
Canada
United States
Bermuda
Québec
Alaska
Texas
Acadia
California
Cherokee
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Northern Cheyenne
Oglala Lakota
Arapaho
Seminole
Navajo
Papago
The Caribbean
Jamaica
Trinidad and Tobago
Antigua
Guyana
Grenada
Guyane
Suriname
Martinique 4747 An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities.
The Bahamas
Saint Lucia
Barbados
Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
Netherlands Antilles
Anguilla 4848 The unofficial but popular cultural flag of the island.
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Belize
Dominica
Saint Vincent
Garifuna
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 4949 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 5050 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Honduras
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 5151 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 5252 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 5353 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 5454 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 5555 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico
Cuba
Uruguay
national flag 5656 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Uruguay
flag of Artigas 5757 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Uruguay
flag of the Treinta y Tres 5858 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Dominican Republic
Chile
Panama
Haiti
Venezuela
national ensign 5959 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 6060 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Bolivia
state flag 6161 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 6262 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Aymara
Quechua
Other International and Cultural Flags
United Nations
Europe
Organization of African Unity
Buddhist Flag
Romani
Pan-African Flag
Warrior Flag
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Red Lion and Sun
Olympic Games
Events of 1975
ANGOLA • The MPLA, which was in charge of Luanda and the majority of urban centres in Angola, declared the country's independence from Portugal on November 11. The new national flag was based on the party flag, with a cogwheel and machete symbol modelled after the Soviet hammer and sickle. The FNLA and UNITA refused to accept MPLA rule, resulting in a civil war that lasted for another 27 years. UNITA attempted to set up a rival government in Huambo under its own party flag, but it was routed by MPLA forces within a few months.
BENIN • On November 30, Dahomey changed its name to Benin and adopted a new flag. The ruling People's Revolutionary Party had a similar flag with a green star on red.
CAMEROON • The two stars on the national flag, which had represented the Anglophone and Francophone communities, were replaced by a single "star of unity" on May 20.
CAPE VERDE • Cape Verde became independent from Portugal. Its new flag was modelled on that of Guinea-Bissau, which had been liberated by the same independence movement.
COMOROS • The Comoros became independent from France on July 6. On November 12 it adopted a red flag which reflected the socialist leanings of the new government
EAST TIMOR • East Timor unilaterally declared independence from Portual on November 28. On December 7, Indonesia invaded and occupied the nascent country, setting up a dubious "Popular Assembly" to endorse its illegal annexation the following year. East Timor would remain under Indonesian rule until 1999.
ETHIOPIA • The crown was removed from the Lion of Judah on the state flag on January 1. The Lion was replaced with the Derg emblem on September 12.
GREECE • The old land flag was readopted as the sole national flag on June 7.
KAMPUCHEA • The Khmer Rouge seized Phnom Penh on April 17. The name of the country was changed from the Khmer Republic to Kampuchea, and the old 1948 flag was temporarily readopted. Within the country a plain red flag was unofficially used by the new government.
LAOS • On December 2, The Pathet Lao flag was adopted as the sole national flag.
MADAGASCAR • The Malagasy Republic went back to the name Madagascar on December 30.
MOZAMBIQUE • Mozambique became fully independent from Portugal on June 25 and adopted a new flag in the colours of the FRELIMO flag.
NIUE • Niue adopted a flag on October 15.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA • Papua New Guinea became independent from Australia on September 16.
SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE • São Tomé and Príncipe became independent from Portugal on July 12. On November 5, it officially adopted a flag that was basically identical to that of the MLSTP. The only difference was a slightly wider yellow stripe.
SIKKIM • Sikkim was annexed to India on May 16.
SOLOMON ISLANDS • In July, a contest to design the future national flag was won by a blue flag with a frigatebird inside a yellow circle. The proposal was rejected because it only represented the island of Guadalcanal.
SOUTH VIETNAM • Following the Fall of Saigon and the capitulation of the Republic of Vietnam on April 30, the Viet Cong flag became the sole flag of South Vietnam.
SURINAME • Suriname became independent from the Netherlands on November 25 and adopted a new flag.
TAHITI • The old Tahitian flag was readopted around this year. The modern version of the flag typically has a wider white stripe than the 19th century version.
TIGRAY • The Tigray People's Liberation Front was established on February 18. Their flag became the official flag of Tigray region some 20 years later.
WALLONIA • The French Cultural Community of Belgium officially adopted the Walloon flag on 20 July 1975.
Notes
1 Flown by anyone. ↩
2 Occasionally flown by the government. ↩
3 Flag of the Zimbabwe African National Union, which sought majority rule in the breakaway British colony of Rhodesia. The territory's illegal white supremacist government flew a green and white flag with the Rhodesian coat of arms. ↩
4 Flag of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a competing liberation movement. ↩
5 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. ↩
6 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. ↩
7 Flag of the Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast, which sought indepdence from France. Eventually became the flag of Djibouti. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas did not have an official flag. ↩
8 Flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a nationalist liberation movement within Ethiopia. Oromia did not have an official flag within Ethiopia at this time. ↩
9 Flag of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a nationalist liberation movement within Ethiopia. Direct predecessor of the modern regional flag. Tigray did not have an official flag within Ethiopia at this time. ↩
10 Flown by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro, which sought indepdence for the former Spanish Sahara, occupied by Mauritania and Morocco ↩
11 Flown by the Federation of Arab Republics. Its member states sometimes distinguished their flags by adding their country's name in small gold writing below the emblem. ↩
12 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. In certain ceremonial settings, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
13 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
14 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
15 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
16 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
17 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
18 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
19 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
20 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
21 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
22 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
23 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
24 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
25 Northen Ireland has not had an official flag since 1973, but the Ulster Banner is still flown by some sporting teams and private citizens. More or less exclusively a unionist symbol. Nationalists tend to fly the Irish tricolour instead. ↩
26 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
27 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
28 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
29 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
30 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted. ↩
31 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned. ↩
32 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
33 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
34 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
35 Banned within the People's Republic of China. The Tibet Autonomous Region does not have an official flag. ↩
36 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
37 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
38 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag. ↩
39 The popular but unofficial flag of the Kannada people. The Indian state of Karnataka does not have an official flag. ↩
40 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. ↩
41 Flown externally, especially at the United Nations. ↩
42 Flown within the country. ↩
43 Flown by nationalists seeking the indpenedence of Timor-Leste. Under Indonesian occupation, flying the flag was illegal. The rarely-used official flag of "Timor Timur" was orange with the provincial seal in the middle. ↩
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 Flown by the breakaway Republic of North Solomons, which tried to win independence from the newly-formed Papua New Guinea. ↩
47 An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities. ↩
48 The unofficial but popular cultural flag of the island. ↩
49 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. ↩
50 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
51 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
52 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
53 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
54 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
55 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
56 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
57 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
58 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
59 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
60 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
61 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
62 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩