1997 - World Flag Chart

Sub-Saharan Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

green-yellow-red, blue disc, yellow pentagram

Ethiopia ^{1¹ The plain tricolour is still flown unofficially.}

Ghana

Rwanda

Guinea

Mali

Senegal

Cameroon

Chad

Nigeria

Côte d'Ivoire

Niger

Sierra Leone

Gabon

diagonal green-yellow-red, thin middle stripe

Republic of the Congo

Benin

yellow-green, thick red stripe, black star

Guinea-Bissau

Madagascar

Burkina Faso

Angola

Malawi

black-red-green, white outlines, shield and spears emblem

Kenya

green-black-yellow, white outlines, red triangle, hoe and machete emblem

Mozambique

diagonal green-black-blue, yellow outlines

Tanzania

diagonal blue-red-green, white outlines, yellow sun

Namibia

green sideways Y outlined in yellow and white surrounded by black, red and blue

South Africa

The Gambia

Botswana

green, orange eagle, three short red-black-orange stripes

Zambia

green-yellow-green, two black stars, red triangle

São Tomé and Príncipe

green-yellow-red-black-red-yellow-green, white triangle, black outline, red star, yellow bird

Zimbabwe

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, 3 red 6-pointed stars outlined in green

Burundi

green-white-red, blue triangle, coat of arms

Equatorial Guinea

green-white-red, black star, green shahada on the top stripe

Somaliland

Lesotho

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

Central African Republic

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

Swaziland

blue, three white-red-white stripes, ring of 10 yellow stars

Cape Verde

blue, yellow star, line of 6 yellow stars

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Somalia

Djibouti

blue-green, red triangle, yellow olive branch emblem

Eritrea

black-red-white, white outline, blue triangle, yellow star

Southern Sudan

SPLM flag ^{2² Flag of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, which sought independence for the southern part of Sudan. Direct predecessor of the modern flag. The region did not have an official flag within Sudan.}

blue-yellow-green, elliptical ring of 6 red stars

Ogoni ^{3³ Some versions of the flag have the ring of stars extending over all three stripes.}

red-green-red, yellow sunburst, green tree, red star

Oromia

OLF flag ^{4⁴ Flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a nationalist liberation movement within Ethiopia. The regional government flies a red, white and black flag with a tree in the middle.}

Tigray

Middle East and North Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

Turkey

Tunisia

Morocco

Algeria

Mauritania

Libya

Palestine

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

Jordan

black-white-green, red triangle, red crescent and star

Western Sahara

Polisario flag ^{5⁵ 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

Egypt

Yemen

Sudan

red-white-black, green Arabic inscription punctuated by three green stars

Iraq

Syria

white, two thin blue stripes, blue star of David

Israel

Cyprus

white, two red stripes, red crescent and star

Northern Cyprus

Lebanon

green-white-red fimbriated with white caligraphy, red tulip emblem

Iran

white-red-green, thick red stripe, white emblem

Oman

Bahrain

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Kurdistan

Amazigh

Druze

white, wavy red-white-blue saltire, azure-orange 4-pointed star, gold image of Assur

Assyrians

Western Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

France

Italy

Ireland

Andorra

Belgium

Germany

Netherlands

Luxembourg

Austria

national flag ^{6⁶ Flown by private citizens and municipalities.}

Austria

federal service flag ^{7⁷ Flown by the federal government and the armed forces.}

Spain

Switzerland

Denmark

national flag ^{8⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

red, white nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Denmark

sovereign flag ^{9⁹ 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 ^{10¹⁰ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

red, white-blue nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Norway

state flag ^{11¹¹ Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships.}

Iceland

national flag ^{12¹² Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

blue, white-red nordic cross, swallowtail cut

Iceland

state flag ^{13¹³ Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships.}

Åland

Sweden ^{14¹⁴ Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military.}

Finland

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

white, blue nordic cross, red square coat of arms outlined in yellow

Finland

state flag ^{16¹⁶ Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut.}

Faroe Islands

9 blue-white stripes, blue canton containing a white cross

Greece

blue, red-white pinwheel saltire outlined in white, red cross outlined in white

United Kingdom

England

white, red cross, smaller yellow norman cross

Guernsey

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

Northern Ireland

Ulster banner ^{17¹⁷ 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

Wales

San Marino

Liechtenstein

Monaco

national flag ^{18¹⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Monaco

princely flag ^{19¹⁹ Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings.}

white, red castle, red stripe, yellow key

Gibraltar

Vatican City

Malta

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

Portugal

blue-white, yellow goshawk, arc of 9 yellow stars, coat of arms

Azores

blue-yellow-blue, red cross, smaller white cross

Madeira

Canary Islands

white, blue diagonal stripe, coat of arms

Galicia

Jersey

Catalonia

senyera ^{20²⁰ The traditional Catalan flag, and the official flag of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.}

9 red-yellow stripes, blue triangle, white star

Catalonia

estelada ^{21²¹ 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

blue, thick red stripe outlined in green and yellow, blue and red ring

Sápmi

Eastern Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

Russia

Slovenia

Slovakia

Croatia

Yugoslavia

Czech Republic

Poland

state flag ^{22²² Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Technically only allowed for private use on national holidays, but in practice flown throughout the year by anyone.}

Poland

coat of arms flag ^{23²³ Only supposed to be flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. In practice, flown by private citizens as well.}

Hungary

Bulgaria

Estonia

Armenia

Lithuania

blue-red-green, white crescent and 8-pointed star

Azerbaijan

Latvia

Georgia

Albania

Macedonia

red, green stripe, white-red ornamental band

Belarus

Romania

Moldova ^{24²⁴ The back side of the flag was just a plain tricolour.}

Ukraine

Bosnia and Herzegovina

green, three crossed yellow arrows, 12 yellow stars

Adygea

seven green-white stripes, red canton with white hand and 7 stars

Abkhazia

green with three white-red-white stripes

Chechnya

Tatarstan

Ossetia ^{25²⁵ Flown by the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia and the Russian republic of North Ossetia.}

yellow, maroon stripe, maroon tree of life

Chuvashia

Udmurtia

blue-white-red, red Mari cross, red inscription

Mari El

Gagauzia

Bashkortostan

Komi

Karelia

Crimean Tatar

Kalmykia

Central Asia and Siberia
◀︎ ▶︎

Afghanistan

Northern Alliance flag ^{26²⁶ The internationally-recognized flag of Afghanistan, flown in territories under Northern Alliance control.}

Afghanistan

Taliban flag ^{27²⁷ Flag of the unrecognized Taliban regime in control of Kabul.}

Afghanistan

Mazar‑i‑Sharif ^{28²⁸ Flown by Abdul Rashid Dostum's proto-state in Mazar-i-Sharif.}

red-white-green, yellow crown, 7 yellow stars

Tajikistan

red, yellow sun, red circular pattern resembling the top of a yurt

Kyrgyzstan

blue, yellow eagle and sun, yellow ornamental stripe

Kazakhstan

green, red carpet-pattern band, white crescent, 5 white stars

Turkmenistan

blue-white-green, red outline, white crescent and 12 white stars

Uzbekistan

blue-yellow-green, white and red outlines, white crescent and 7 stars

Karakalpakstan

East Turkestan ^{29²⁹ The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Province does not have an official flag.}

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

Tibet ^{30³⁰ Banned within the People's Republic of China. The Tibet Autonomous Region does not have a flag.}

Mongolia

blue-white-yellow, yellow sun symbol in top left

Buryatia

blue, yellow triangle, blue sideways Y outlined in white

Tuva

blue, white circle, three small white-red-green stripes

Sakha

white, thin blue stripe at the bottom, even thinner blue stripe above

Altai

Jewish Autonomous Region

South Asia and the Indian Ocean
◀︎ ▶︎

India

green, thick white stripe, white crescent and star

Pakistan

Bangladesh

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

Nepal

Bhutan

yellow, orange and green vertical bars, maroon rectangle, yellow lion, yellow leaves

Sri Lanka

green, thick red outline, white crescent

Maldives

green, white crescent, four white stars, white Arabic inscriptions in the corners

Comoros

Mauritius

blue-yellow-red-white-green diagonal rays

Seychelles

yellow-red-green-blue triangles, white disc, elongated French flag stripe

Réunion ^{31³¹ An unofficial local flag.}

Mayotte ^{32³² Flown by the departmental council and used as a local flag.}

Chagos Islands ^{33³³ Flown by the Chagossians, who were forcibly removed from the islands by the British to make way for a military base. The islands are officially administered as the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has a colonial ensign with a wavy white and blue stripes and a palm tree badge.}

Jammu and Kashmir ^{34³⁴ Flown in the Indian-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.}

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

Azad Kashmir ^{35³⁵ Flown in the Pakistan-controlled parts of the disputed region of Kashmir.}

Balochistan ^{36³⁶ Flown by Baloch nationalists seeking independence from Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The star is sometimes flipped upside down or replaced by a white sun. The provincial government of Balochistan in Pakistan flies a green flag with a white camel emblem.}

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

Nagaland ^{37³⁷ Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag.}

Kannada ^{38³⁸ The popular but unofficial flag of the Kannada people. The Indian state of Karnataka does not have an official flag.}

East 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

Vietnam

China

Hong Kong

Taiwan ^{39³⁹ The flag of the Republic of China, which is the government of Taiwan. Banned on the mainland, as the People's Republic of China claims sovereignty over the island. At major international sporting events like the Olympics, Taiwan competes under the name "Chinese Taipei" and flies a neutral flag.}

red, blue canton, white gear and wheat emblem, 14 white stars

Myanmar

Thailand

Laos

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, diagonal black-red stripes, yellow 9-point star

Sarawak

red, yellow triangle, smaller black triangle, white star

East Timor ^{40⁴⁰ 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.}

Shan

Rohingya

blue-white-red, yellow star, a white sword, yellow crescent and 4 stars on a green disc

Muslim Mindanao

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

Karen ^{41⁴¹ Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Myanmar. Kayin State has its own flag, a blue-white-red tricolour with a white star in the top left.}

azure-white-blue, azure canton, blue mountain

Sabah

azure, abstract red arrow piercing a white cloud

Ainu

Oceania
◀︎ ▶︎

diagonal black-red, white southern cross, yellow bird of paradise

Papua New Guinea

Aboriginal Australians

black-white-red, interrupted by a curving spiral pattern

Māori

thin yellow sideways Y outlined in black, surrounded by red, green and black, yellow boar tusk

Vanuatu

blue-red-green, black rooftop spire emblem, yellow disc

Kanaky-New Caledonia

FLNKS flag ^{42⁴² Flag of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, which sought the independence from France.}

diagonal blue-green bicolour, yellow outline, 5 white stars

Solomon Islands

blue British ensign, white 7-pointed star and southern cross

Australia

blue British ensign, red southern cross outlined in white

Aotearoa New Zealand

blue British ensign, ring of 15 white stars

Cook Islands

Fiji

Tuvalu

yellow British ensign, five yellow stars on the Union Jack

Niue

blue, orange-white diagonal rays, white 24-point star

Marshall Islands

blue, thin yellow stripe, white 12-pointed star

Nauru

Micronesia

Palau

red, yellow sun rising from 6 white-blue wavy stripes, yellow frigatebird

Kiribati

white-red-blue-white-red-blue-white-red, union jack

Hawaiʻi

Samoa

Tonga

red, white maltese cross, French flag outlined in white

Wallis and Futuna

Maohi Nui

Rapa Nui

blue, stone pillar, wreath of flowers, white star

Northern Mariana Islands

Guam

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

American Samoa

Norfolk Island

diagonal blue-green, white southern cross, a yellow bird, green map on a yellow disc

Christmas Island

green-blue-green, black outlines, white headdress and star

Torres Strait Islands

black, white southern cross, blue and green rectangles outlined in yellow

South Sea Islanders

blue, red headdress, black circle surrounded by green and white triangles

Bougainville

North America
◀︎ ▶︎

Canada

Greenland

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

United States

Bermuda

blue, yellow sailing ship, Basque flag, Breton banner of arms, Norman banner of arms

Saint Pierre and Miquelon ^{43⁴³ A popular but unofficial local flag.}

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

Québec

white, four blue triangles, two hollow red triangles, yellow-outlined-red shaft

Newfoundland

California

Alaska

white-red, thick blue stripe, white star

Texas

Acadia

white, red offset cross, red star, red crescent

Mi’kmaq

Métis

Northern Cheyenne

Haudenosaunee

Choctaw

orange, black-green fringe, seal, seven 7-pointed yellow stars, black 7-pointed star

Cherokee

Oglala Lakota

red, white thunderbird inside a white ring

Anishinabek

Haida

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

Arapaho

Seminole

white, blue border, national seal, white-blue-green-black patterened stripe

Ho-Chunk

blue, feather staff, map emblem, ring of feathers

Blackfeet

Comanche

tan, seal on a map, four black-white-blue-yellow mountains, rainbow

Navajo

Tohono O’odham

green-white-blue-white-green, snowshoe and antlers

Innu

The Caribbean
◀︎ ▶︎

Jamaica

diagonal green-black-red, yellow outlines, two white stars

Saint Kitts and Nevis

red, diagonal black stripe outlined in white

Trinidad and Tobago

black-blue-white, red triangles, yellow sunrise

Antigua and Barbuda

green, yellow triangle outlined in white, smaller red triangle outlined in black

Guyana

green, yellow-white-black cross, red circle, ring of green stars, purple parrot

Dominica

green-yellow triangles, red border, red disc, yellow star, nutmeg, six yellow stars

Grenada

Guyane

green-white-red-white-green, yellow star

Suriname

green-red-green, white outlines, yellow star

Guadeloupe ^{44⁴⁴ An unofficial flag flown by Guadeloupe nationalists. There is also a rarely used "heraldic banner" based on the coat of arms of Pointe-à-Pitre.}

Martinique ^{45⁴⁵ An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities.}

The Bahamas

blue, black triangle outlined in white, shorter yellow triangle

Saint Lucia

Barbados

blue-yellow-green, three green diamonds in a V-shape

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

diagonal yellow-white-blue, red 6-pointed star, black compass

Bonaire

blue, two thin yellow stripes, red 4-pointed star outlined in white

Aruba

blue, thin yellow stripe, two white stars

Curaçao

yellow-green, three blue-red-blue stripes, black emblem

Saint Martin

unity flag ^{46⁴⁶ A common cultural flag representing both the French and Dutch halves of the island of Saint Martin.}

Saint Martin (Dutch)

white diamond surrounded by red and blue, gold star

Saba

white, thin red stripe, thin blue band, ring of 5 stars

Netherlands Antilles

white, blue stripe, three orange dolphins

Anguilla ^{47⁴⁷ The unofficial but popular cultural flag of the island.}

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

Virgin Islands (U.S.)

Belize

red-green, black frigatebird, yellow sun

Barbuda

Garifuna

Latin America
◀︎ ▶︎

green, yellow diamond, blue and white celestial sphere

Brazil

Mexico

Peru

national ensign ^{48⁴⁸ 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 ^{49⁴⁹ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Guatemala

Argentina

Honduras

Nicaragua

El Salvador

national flag ^{50⁵⁰ The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens.}

El Salvador

inscribed flag ^{51⁵¹ An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices.}

El Salvador

plain flag ^{52⁵² The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens.}

Paraguay

front side

Paraguay

back side

Costa Rica

national flag ^{53⁵³ 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 ^{54⁵⁴ 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 ^{55⁵⁵ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Uruguay

flag of Artigas ^{56⁵⁶ A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.}

Uruguay

flag of the Treinta y Tres ^{57⁵⁷ A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings.}

black-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 ^{58⁵⁸ Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens.}

Venezuela

national flag ^{59⁵⁹ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

Colombia

Ecuador

Bolivia

state flag ^{60⁶⁰ Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms.}

Bolivia

national flag ^{61⁶¹ Allowed to be flown by anyone.}

7-by-7 grid of coloured squares, diagonally arranged white-green-blue-purple-red-orange-yellow

Aymara

red-orange-yellow-green-azure-blue-purple

Quechua

blue-green-red, yellow drum, thin black diamond-studded stripes on the top and bottom

Mapuche

Misak

Other International and Cultural Flags
◀︎ ▶︎

blue, white map of the world, white wreath

United Nations

Antarctica

Europe

green-white-green, yellow outlines, emblem

Organization of African Unity

blue, yellow globe surrounded by rays in the shape of a C

Commonwealth of Nations

yellow, ring of yellow green purple red and blue segments

La Francophonie

Lusophone Community

blue-yellow-red-white-orange-multicolour

Buddhist Flag

Romani

Pan-African Flag

red, yellow sunburst, Mohawk warrior head

Warrior Flag

Esperanto

Red Cross

Red Crescent

Pride Flag

Olympic Games

Events of 1997
◀︎ ▶︎

AFGHANISTAN • The unrecognized Taliban government in Afghanistan added a black shahada to its plain white flag on October 27.

AMAZIGH • The First Amazigh World Congress was held from August 27-30, bringing together three hundred Berber delegates from across North Africa. They adopted a flag with the Tifinagh letter yaz.

BARBUDA • The island of Barbuda adopted a flag.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO • The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo swept through Zaire, toppling the government of President Mobutu Sese Seko. When Kinshasa was taken on May 17, rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila proclaimed himself president, restored the country's name to the Democratic Republic of Congo and reinstated the 1960-1963 national flag.

1997 flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

HONG KONG • The flag of Hong Kong was officially raised for the first time on July 1 when the territory was handed over from Britain to China.

KOMI • The Komi Republic shortened its flag from 1:2 to 2:3, to make it the same size as the Russian flag.

SAMOA • Western Samoa changed its name to just Samoa on July 4.

TURKMENISTAN • On February 1, an olive branch was added to Turkmenistan's national flag to represent the country's permanent neutrality.

TUVALU • Prime Minister Bikenibeu Paeniu, who had come to power in December 1996 after a vote of no-confidence brought down his republican predecessor, restored the country's original blue ensign flag.

Notes

¹ The plain tricolour is still flown unofficially. ↩

² Flag of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, which sought independence for the southern part of Sudan. Direct predecessor of the modern flag. The region did not have an official flag within Sudan. ↩

³ Some versions of the flag have the ring of stars extending over all three stripes. ↩

⁴ Flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a nationalist liberation movement within Ethiopia. The regional government flies a red, white and black flag with a tree in the middle. ↩

⁵ 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. ↩

⁶ Flown by private citizens and municipalities. ↩

⁷ Flown by the federal government and the armed forces. ↩

⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁹ Flown by the royal house, the government, and the armed forces. Also granted to a select list of private institutions and companies. ↩

¹⁰ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

¹¹ Flown only on state-owned buildings and naval ships. ↩

¹² Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

¹³ Flown on government buildings and coast guard ships. ↩

¹⁴ Flown for all purposes. A three-tailed version of the national flag is flown by the military. ↩

¹⁵ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

¹⁶ Flown by the government, border guard, and public universities. The armed forces fly a version with a swallowtail cut. ↩

¹⁷ 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. ↩

¹⁸ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

¹⁹ Flown over the Prince's Palace and government buildings. ↩

²⁰ The traditional Catalan flag, and the official flag of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. ↩

²¹ The flag preferred by supporters of Catalan independence. ↩

²² Flown over the Presidential Palace, parliament, provincial legislatures, and other government buildings. Technically only allowed for private use on national holidays, but in practice flown throughout the year by anyone. ↩

²³ Only supposed to be flown by embassies, airports, and merchant ships. In practice, flown by private citizens as well. ↩

²⁴ The back side of the flag was just a plain tricolour. ↩

²⁵ Flown by the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia and the Russian republic of North Ossetia. ↩

²⁶ The internationally-recognized flag of Afghanistan, flown in territories under Northern Alliance control. ↩

²⁷ Flag of the unrecognized Taliban regime in control of Kabul. ↩

²⁸ Flown by Abdul Rashid Dostum's proto-state in Mazar-i-Sharif. ↩

²⁹ The national flag of the Uyghur people, banned within the People's Republic of China. Xinjiang Province does not have an official flag. ↩

³⁰ Banned within the People's Republic of China. The Tibet Autonomous Region does not have a flag. ↩

³¹ An unofficial local flag. ↩

³² Flown by the departmental council and used as a local flag. ↩

³³ Flown by the Chagossians, who were forcibly removed from the islands by the British to make way for a military base. The islands are officially administered as the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has a colonial ensign with a wavy white and blue stripes and a palm tree badge. ↩

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 Baloch nationalists seeking independence from Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The star is sometimes flipped upside down or replaced by a white sun. The provincial government of Balochistan in Pakistan flies a green flag with a white camel emblem. ↩

³⁷ Flown by nationalists and separatists. The Indian state of Nagaland does not have an official flag. ↩

³⁸ The popular but unofficial flag of the Kannada people. The Indian state of Karnataka does not have an official flag. ↩

³⁹ The flag of the Republic of China, which is the government of Taiwan. Banned on the mainland, as the People's Republic of China claims sovereignty over the island. At major international sporting events like the Olympics, Taiwan competes under the name "Chinese Taipei" and flies a neutral flag. ↩

⁴⁰ 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. ↩

⁴¹ Flown by Karen nationalists seeking independence and separation from Myanmar. Kayin State has its own flag, a blue-white-red tricolour with a white star in the top left. ↩

⁴² Flag of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, which sought the independence from France. ↩

⁴³ A popular but unofficial local flag. ↩

⁴⁴ An unofficial flag flown by Guadeloupe nationalists. There is also a rarely used "heraldic banner" based on the coat of arms of Pointe-à-Pitre. ↩

⁴⁵ An unofficial flag flown by Martinican nationalists and occasionally by local municipalities. ↩

⁴⁶ A common cultural flag representing both the French and Dutch halves of the island of Saint Martin. ↩

⁴⁷ The unofficial but popular cultural flag of the island. ↩

⁴⁸ 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. ↩

⁴⁹ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁵⁰ The most common flag, flown over most government buildings, at ceremonies, by diplomatic missions and often by public citizens. ↩

⁵¹ An alternative government flag, most commonly flown by the armed forces but also on some public buildings and offices. ↩

⁵² The simplest version of the national flag, flown by some private citizens. ↩

⁵³ The most common Costa Rican flag. Officially designated for private citizens, but in practice often used on government buildings and schools too. ↩

⁵⁴ Flown by the government and by diplomatic missions, although also used sometimes by private citizens. ↩

⁵⁵ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁵⁶ A traditional military emblem, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩

⁵⁷ A historic flag, ceremonially flown alongside the national flag at government buildings. ↩

⁵⁸ Flown by the government and armed forces, and unofficially used by many private citizens. ↩

⁵⁹ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

⁶⁰ Flown by the governmnent. The armed forces flew a similar flag with olive and laurel branches around the coat of arms. ↩

⁶¹ Allowed to be flown by anyone. ↩

The World Flag Chart

◀︎ Flags of 1997 ▶︎

Sub-Saharan Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

Middle East and North Africa
◀︎ ▶︎

Western Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

Eastern Europe
◀︎ ▶︎

Central Asia and Siberia
◀︎ ▶︎

South Asia and the Indian Ocean
◀︎ ▶︎

East and Southeast Asia
◀︎ ▶︎

Oceania
◀︎ ▶︎

North America
◀︎ ▶︎

The Caribbean
◀︎ ▶︎

Latin America
◀︎ ▶︎

Other International and Cultural Flags
◀︎ ▶︎

Events of 1997
◀︎ ▶︎

Notes

Events of 1997◀︎ ▶︎

Notes

Events of 1997
◀︎ ▶︎