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 full majority rule in the breakaway British colony of Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The territory's illegal government flew a red, white, green and black flag with a golden soapstone bird.
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
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
Oman
Bahrain
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Kurdistan
Druze
Assyrians
Western Europe
France
Italy
Ireland
Andorra
Belgium
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
West Germany
East Germany
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.
Faroe Islands
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.
Greece
United Kingdom
England · Guernsey
Northern Ireland
Ulster banner 2121 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 2222 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Monaco
princely flag 2323 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.
Gibraltar
Vatican City
Malta
Portugal
Azores
Madeira
Canary Islands
Galicia
Catalonia
senyera 2424 The traditional Catalan flag, and the official flag of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.
Catalonia
estelada 2525 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 2626 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted.
Poland
coat of arms flag 2727 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned.
Yugoslavia
Hungary
Bulgaria
Estonia 2828 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Lithuania 2929 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation.
Latvia 3030 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 3232 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Azad Kashmir 3333 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.
Nagaland 3434 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag.
Kannada 3535 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 3636 Flown by the partially-recognized People's Republic of Kampuchea, the Vienamese client state in Phnom Penh.
Kampuchea
Khmer Rouge flag 3737 Flown by the Khmer Rouge government-in-exile, which retained control of Cambodia's UN seat.
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
Cook Islands
Fiji
Tuvalu
Niue
Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands
Nauru
Micronesia
Kiribati
Hawaiʻi
Western Samoa
Tonga
Wallis and Futuna
Tahiti
Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
American Samoa
Norfolk Island
Bougainville
Vanua'aku 4242 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
Mi’kmaq
Métis
Northern Cheyenne
Choctaw
Cherokee
Oglala Lakota
Arapaho
Seminole
Navajo
Papago
Innu
The Caribbean
Jamaica
Trinidad and Tobago
Antigua
Guyana
Dominica
Grenada
Guyane
Suriname
Martinique 4343 An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities.
The Bahamas
Aruba
Saint Lucia
Barbados
Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Netherlands Antilles
Anguilla 4444 The unofficial but popular cultural flag of the island.
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Belize
Garifuna
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Peru
national ensign 4545 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 4646 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Guatemala
Argentina
Honduras
Nicaragua
El Salvador
national flag 4747 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.
El Salvador
inscribed flag 4848 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.
El Salvador
plain flag 4949 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.
Paraguay
front side
Paraguay
back side
Costa Rica
national flag 5050 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 5151 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens.
Puerto Rico
Cuba
Uruguay
national flag 5252 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Uruguay
flag of Artigas 5353 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Uruguay
flag of the Treinta y Tres 5454 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.
Dominican Republic
Chile
Panama
Haiti
Venezuela
national ensign 5555 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.
Venezuela
national flag 5656 Allowed to be flown by anyone.
Colombia
Ecuador
Bolivia
state flag 5757 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.
Bolivia
national flag 5858 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
Pride Flag
Olympic Games
Events of 1979
AZORES • On April 10, the Azores adopted a flag which was heavily inspired by the old blue and white flag of the Portuguese monarchy.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC • Bokassa I of the Central African Empire was overthrown on September 21 and the Central African Republic was restored.
CHOCTAW • The Choctaw Nation adopted a flag in the 1970s, possibly coinciding with the adoption of its constitution in 1979. The design was based on the flag flown by Confederate-allied Choctaw cavalry during the American Civil War.
COOK ISLANDS • On August 4, the Cook Islands adopted a new blue ensign with the ring of stars from its previous flag in the fly.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA • On August 21, the original national flag was readopted following the ousting of Francisco Macías Nguema.
IRAN • Ayatollah Khomeini declared the creation of a provisional revolutionary government on February 5. Its flag was a plain tricolour without the traditional lion and sun symbol.
KAMPUCHEA • The Vietnamese army entered Phnom Penh on January 7, and the following day the People's Republic of Kampuchea was established. The new regime adopted the 1945 flag of the Khmer Issarak independence movement, which featured a five-tower depiction of Angkor Wat. The old government was forced into exile but retained international recognition under the three-tower flag.
KIRIBATI • The Gilbert Islands became independent from the United Kingdom as Kiribati on July 12.
MARSHALL ISLANDS • On May 1, the Marshall Islands became self-governing under United Nations trusteeship. The new Republic's flag was designed by Emlain Kabua, who would become First Lady later that year.
MICRONESIA • On May 10, the Federated States of Micronesia was established under United Nations trusteeship.
NORFOLK ISLAND • Norfolk Island adopted a territorial flag depicting a Norfolk pine on June 6.
PRIDE FLAG • The original 8-stripe pride flag was reduced to 6 stripes at the 1979 San Francisco Pride Parade to make it easier to manufacture.
SAINT LUCIA • The British associated state of Saint Lucia became fully independent on March 1 under a slightly modified flag.
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES • On October 27, the British associated state of Saint Vincent became independent as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and adopted a new flag with a large breadfruit leaf on it.
ZIMBABWE • The unrecognized Rhodesian government (now calling itself "Zimbabwe Rhodesia") adopted a new flag on September 2 to symbolize its transition to a multi-racial democracy. (Not pictured above.) The new government was unable to gather any international support and later that year the country officially reverted to British rule.
Notes
1 Flown by anyone. ↩
2 Occasionally flown by the government. ↩
3 Flag of the Zimbabwe African National Union, which sought full majority rule in the breakaway British colony of Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The territory's illegal government flew a red, white, green and black flag with a golden soapstone bird. ↩
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 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 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. ↩
22 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
23 Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩
24 The traditional Catalan flag, and the official flag of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. ↩
25 The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩
26 Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Private use highly restricted. ↩
27 Flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. Private use strictly banned. ↩
28 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Estonian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
29 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Lithuanian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
30 Flown by the diplomatic service in exile and the Latvian disaspora. Flying the national flag was banned under the Soviet occupation. ↩
31 Banned within the People's Republic of China. The Tibet Autonomous Region does not have an official flag. ↩
32 Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
33 Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir. ↩
34 Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag. ↩
35 The popular but unofficial flag of the Kannada people. The Indian state of Karnataka does not have an official flag. ↩
36 Flown by the partially-recognized People's Republic of Kampuchea, the Vienamese client state in Phnom Penh. ↩
37 Flown by the Khmer Rouge government-in-exile, which retained control of Cambodia's UN seat. ↩
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 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. ↩
43 An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities. ↩
44 The unofficial but popular cultural flag of the island. ↩
45 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. ↩
46 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
47 The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩
48 An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩
49 The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩
50 The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩
51 Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩
52 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
53 A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
54 A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩
55 Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩
56 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩
57 Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩
58 Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩