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 Empire
South Africa
Somalia
Djibouti
Eritrea
EPLF flag 66 Flag of the Eritrean Liberation Front, which sought independence from Ethiopia. Direct predecessor of the modern flag. The provincial government did not have an official flag.
Oromia
OLF flag 77 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 88 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
Libya
Palestine
Jordan
Western Sahara
Polisario flag 99 Flown by the Polisario Front and the unrecognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which claims to be the rightful government of the disputed Western Sahara. Most of the territory is occupied by Morocco.
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Sudan
Egypt · Syria
Iraq
North Yemen
South Yemen
Israel
Cyprus
Lebanon
Iran
state flag 1010 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. In certain ceremonial settings, the ratio was 1:3.
Iran
national flag 1111 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 1212 Flown by private citizens and municipalities.
Austria
federal service flag 1313 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.
Spain
West Germany
East Germany
Switzerland
Denmark
national flag 1414 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Denmark
sovereign flag 1515 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 1616 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Norway
state flag 1717 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.
Faroe Islands
Iceland
national flag 1818 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Iceland
state flag 1919 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.
Åland
Sweden 2020 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.
Finland
national flag 2121 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Finland
state flag 2222 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 2323 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 2424 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2525 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Gibraltar
Vatican City
Malta
Portugal
Canary Islands
Galicia
Catalonia
senyera 2626 The traditional Catalan flag.
Catalonia
estelada 2727 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence.
Brittany
Cornwall
Corsica
Flanders
Wallonia
Isle of Man
Basque Country
Sápmi
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union
Albania
Czechoslovakia
Poland
state flag 2828 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted.
Poland
coat of arms flag 2929 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned.
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 3030 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Lithuania 3131 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Latvia 3232 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
Seychelles
Mauritius
Jammu and Kashmir 3434 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Azad Kashmir 3535 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Nagaland 3636 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag.
Kannada 3737 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
Vietnam
Kampuchea
China
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.
Burma
Thailand
Laos
Malaysia
Indonesia
Singapore
Sarawak
Philippines
East Timor 3939 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 4040 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma.
East Turkestan 4141 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
Solomon Islands
Nauru
Cook Islands
Micronesia
Western Samoa
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Tahiti
Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
American Samoa
Bougainville 4242 Flown unofficially within the province but frowned upon by the national government.
Vanua'aku 4343 Flown by the Vanua'aku Pati and the People's Provisional Government, which pushed for the independence of what would become Vanuatu. The Anglo-French condominium in the New Hebrides did not have an official flag.
North America
Canada
United States
Bermuda
Québec
Alaska
Texas
Acadia
California
Cherokee
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Northern Cheyenne
Oglala Lakota
Arapaho
Seminole
Navajo
Papago
Innu
The Caribbean
Jamaica
Trinidad and Tobago
Antigua
Guyana
Grenada
Guyane
Suriname
Martinique 4444 An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities.
The Bahamas
Aruba
Saint Lucia
Barbados
Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
Netherlands Antilles
Anguilla 4545 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 4646 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 4747 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Honduras
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 4848 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 4949 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 5050 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 5151 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 5252 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico
Cuba
Uruguay
national flag 5353 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Uruguay
flag of Artigas 5454 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Uruguay
flag of the Treinta y Tres 5555 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Dominican Republic
Chile
Panama
Haiti
Venezuela
national ensign 5656 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 5757 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Bolivia
state flag 5858 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 5959 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Aymara
Quechua
Other International and Cultural Flags
United Nations
Europe
Organization of African Unity
Commonwealth of Nations
Buddhist Flag
Romani
Pan-African Flag
Warrior Flag
Esperanto
Red Cross
Red Crescent
Red Lion and Sun
Olympic Games
Events of 1977
DJIBOUTI • On June 27, the French Territory of the Afars and Issas became independent as Djibouti. It adopted the same flag used by the Somali Coast Liberation Front during the independence struggle.
ERITREA • The Eritrean People's Liberation Front adopted a flag on January 23. It would eventually become the model for Eritrea's independence flag two decades later.
LIBYA • Outraged over Anwar Sadat's planned peace agreement with Israel, Muammar Gaddafi had the flag of the Federation of Arab Republics ceremonially burned on November 11. In its place he adopted a plain green flag as a "provisional" measure. It would remain flying until he was deposed over 30 years later.
SÁPMI • The Sámi poet Synnøve Persen designed a flag for Sápmi in December 1977. The colour scheme had been used by activists in Norway since the 1960s.
SEYCHELLES • The Seychelles People's United Party launched a coup on June 4, while President James Mancham was attending a Commonwealth meeting in London. On June 29, the new government adopted a new flag modelled on the SPUP flag.
SOLOMON ISLANDS • On November 18, a national flag was adopted a flag in preparation for independence.
SPAIN • The coat of arms was slightly modified on January 21.
VANUA'AKU • The Vanua'aku Party in the New Hebrides adopted a flag for its "People's Provisional Government" on November 29. Three years later, when the country achieved independence as Vanuatu, it adopted a flag with many of the same basic elements.
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. Direct predecessor of the modern flag. The provincial government did not have an official flag. ↩
7 Flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a nationalist liberation movement within Ethiopia. Oromia did not have an official flag within Ethiopia at this time. ↩
8 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. ↩
9 Flown by the Polisario Front and the unrecognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which claims to be the rightful government of the disputed Western Sahara. Most of the territory is occupied by Morocco. ↩
10 Flown by the government, and often by private citizens. In certain ceremonial settings, the ratio was 1:3. ↩
11 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
12 Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩
13 Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩
14 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
15 Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩
16 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
17 Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩
18 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
19 Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩
20 Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩
21 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
22 Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩
23 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. ↩
24 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
25 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
26 The traditional Catalan flag. ↩
27 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
28 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted. ↩
29 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned. ↩
30 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
31 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
32 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
33 Banned within the People's Republic of China. The Tibet Autonomous Region does not have an official flag. ↩
34 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
35 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
36 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag. ↩
37 The popular but unofficial flag of the Kannada people. The Indian state of Karnataka does not have an official flag. ↩
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. ↩
39 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. ↩
40 Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Burma. ↩
41 The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Region does not have an official flag. ↩
42 Flown unofficially within the province but frowned upon by the national government. ↩
43 Flown by the Vanua'aku Pati and the People's Provisional Government, which pushed for the independence of what would become Vanuatu. The Anglo-French condominium in the New Hebrides did not have an official flag. ↩
44 An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities. ↩
45 The unofficial but popular cultural flag of the island. ↩
46 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. ↩
47 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
48 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
49 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
50 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
51 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
52 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
53 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
54 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
55 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
56 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
57 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
58 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
59 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩